Creativity is an intrinsic design that helps individuals to provide appropriate responses to open-ended tasks. However, various limitations inhibit creativity in the workplace, including incentives, competition, and evaluation. The article “How your work environment influences your creativity” by Teresa Amabile explores the social and environmental influences that promote creativity and the counteractive factors. The study reveals that a positive environment influences intrinsic motivation, which is the foundational determinant of creativity, as it promotes resilience and determination.
Various factors are identified to influence creativity, such as quality assessment. According to Amabile (2020), evaluation is one factor that destroys creativity. People working under the pressure of assessment produce poor quality work. The pressure undermines the intrinsic motivation to innovate and create unique designs when handling projects which result in less creativity. Similarly, surveillance is another factor that reduces creativity, as it promotes self-doubt, which affects active engagement. Additionally, peer competition demoralizes self-motivation, limiting the creative approach to handling tasks (Amabile, 2020). Therefore, these social and environmental influences undermine individualized approaches to tasks.
Motivation through incentives was perceived to be integral in promoting creativity. However, a study of different groups revealed that people who chose to do activities to be paid exhibited the lowest creativity (Amabile, 2020). For instance, poets who wrote their poems with the perception that the public would recognize their work showed less creativity than their self-motivated counterparts who perceived poetry as an innate art (Amabile, 2020). However, a second study involving students proved that a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation influenced creativity. This factor promoted the relevance of extrinsic influence in better delivery of service.
The study involved students who were told they would be compensated after the project. However, they were involved in an altered test to enable the researchers to examine their intrinsic influence. One group was given an alternative to quitting, while others were given an ultimatum to finish the task (Amabile, 2020). Students who decided to quit working on their projects exhibited less creativity than those who were encouraged to complete the task (Amabile, 2020). This experiment revealed that organizational support or extrinsic motivation could promote creativity, with the fundamental determinant being intrinsic support.
A positive work environment influences intrinsic motivation and creativity by promoting resilience and determination. The article mentions that organizations that provide employees with the needed support, including aligned objectives, recorded high creativity among their workforce (Amabile, 2020). Other considerations, such as effective communication and valued individual contribution to projects, promoted creativity and meaningful outcomes (Amabile, 2020). On the other hand, employees who worked under harsh leadership and lacked intrinsic motivation exhibited less commitment and creativity in their job delivery. Therefore, extrinsic motivation can motivate employees or people already committed to delivering the best results in their assigned tasks.
Creativity promotes a unique approach by supporting novel and unexpected responses to tasks. However, some factors may hinder creativity, including evaluation, surveillance, and competition since they demoralize operations. However, intrinsic motivation is the foundation of innovation and the delivery of unique ideas in an organization. Extrinsic motivation also acts as a catalyst for creativity by supporting the processes that enable ideas’ actualization. Therefore, innovative individuals who engage in activities they love or consider an opportunity exhibit creativity in their approach, promoting excellence in their service delivery. Therefore, intrinsic motivation is the foundation of creativity bolstered by external influence.
Reference
Amabile, T. (2020). How your work environment influences your creativity. Greater Good Magazine. Web.