The Role of Job Challenge and Organizational Identification in Enhancing Creative Behavior among Employees in the Workplace

Abstract

Organizations recognize the importance of creative employees and constantly explore ways to enhance their employees' creative behavior. Creativity research has directed substantial efforts to understanding how work environment fosters creativity. Yet, this research has paid little attention to the importance of specific characteristics of the work environment and organizational identification in augmenting creative behavior in employees at work. The present study examines the influence of job challenge on employees' creative behavior, arguing that organizational identification plays a mediating role in this relationship. The results show that organizational identification mediates the relationship between job challenge and employees' creative behavior.

Explaining task performance and creativity from perceived organizational support theory: Which mechanisms are more important?

“…Our study offers a deeper understanding of middle management's role by showing that expressing concern for employees and trying to meet their socio‐emotional needs facilitate creativity. Thus far, a direct relationship has been found between the work environment and certain aspects of personality (e.g., openness to experience) and employees' creative behavior (Carmeli et al, ). We extend creativity research by demonstrating how the psychological mechanisms comprising felt obligation, work unit identification, and internal career success expectancy mediate the influence of POS on employees' creativity.…”

“…As noted earlier, group identification reflects autonomous motivation, which is associated with satisfaction of relatedness and autonomy needs (Siegel & Kaemmerer, ). Because creativity is important for long‐term survival of organizations (Amabile, ), identification is conducive to adaptive, problem‐focused strategies that encourage individuals to view problem‐solving as an important end in itself (Carmeli et al, ; Deci & Ryan, ; George, ). Thus group identification may be a powerful energizing force encouraging effort and persistence (Hirst et al, ), promoting knowledge acquisition and deep processing strategies that facilitate mastery of complex and uncertain tasks (Elliot & McGregor, ).…”

“…In contrast, two recent studies indicate a positive relationship between group identification and creativity. In a survey-based study of 175 employee-leader dyads across different job types, Carmeli, Cohen-Meitar, and Elizur (2007) found that individuals who identify with their organization and are therefore more group-oriented are more likely to behave creatively. Similarly, Hirst et al (2009) showed an indirect relationship between team identification and leader ratings of creativity mediated by creative effort.…”

Does shared group identification lead to group creativity? Group regulatory focus as a moderator

“…People desire to enhance their sense of self‐worth through affiliation with a high‐status social group and, therefore, members with high group identification are willing to engage in behaviors that help promote the status of the group as a whole (Ellemers, Spears, & Doosje, ; Wright & Tropp, ). This indicates that when confronted with the risks or challenges inherently involved in creative problem‐solving, high identifiers are intrinsically motivated to exert substantial effort to take on those challenges and to attempt to expand beyond their regular area of responsibility as a means to raise the group's status (Blader et al, ; Carmeli, Cohen‐Meitar, & Elizur, ; Hirst, van Dick, & van Knippenberg, ). Taken together, when members share a sense of group identification, group creativity is likely to be enhanced as a result of their collective concerns and endeavors to achieve group success and maintain group prestige.…”

“…This indicates that when confronted with the risks or challenges inherently involved in creative problem-solving, high identifiers are intrinsically motivated to exert substantial effort to take on those challenges and to attempt to expand beyond their regular area of responsibility as a means to raise the group's status (Blader et al, 2017;Carmeli, Cohen-Meitar, & Elizur, 2007;Hirst, van Dick, & van Knippenberg, 2009). Taken together, when members share a sense of group identification, group creativity is likely to be enhanced as a result of their collective concerns and endeavors to achieve group success and maintain group prestige.…”