Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Numerous studies that have demonstrated interaction effects between individual and contextual factors suggest the potential positive effect of congruent personal and environmental characteristics on creativity. None of the prior studies, however, has explicitly and systematically tested the formal theory of person–environment fit in the context of creativity. This study examined the effects of two versions of person–environment fit (supplies–values and demands–abilities fit) on creative behavior and context satisfaction. The results, based on longitudinal data collected from management students and their instructors, showed that creative behavior was almost exclusively predicted by personal characteristics (desire for creative climate, actual creative abilities), whereas context satisfaction was strongly influenced by environmental characteristics (current creative climate, required creative abilities). The present results indicate a potential division of roles between personal and environmental characteristics with respect to affective and behavioral outcomes. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Amabile, T.M. Creativity in context: Update to the social psychology of creativity. Boulder, CO: Westview Press , 1996.

Amabile, T.M., Conti, R., Coon, H., Lazenby, J. & Herron, M. Assessing the work environment for creativity . Academy of Management Journal, 1996, 39, 1154–1184 .

Amabile, T.M. & Gryskiewicz, N.D. The creative environment scales: Work environment inventory . Creativity Research Journal, 1989, 2, 231–253 .

Anderson, J.C. & Gerbing, D.W. On the assessment of unidimensional measurement: Internal and external consistency, and overall consistency criteria . Journal of Marketing Research, 1988, 14, 432–437 .

Anderson, N.R. & West, M.A. Measuring climate for work group innovation: Development and validation of the team climate inventory . Journal of Organizational Behavior, 1998, 19, 235–258 .

Bentler, P.M. EQS structural equation program manual. Los Angeles, CA: BMDP Statistical Software , 1995.

Bryk, A.S. & Raudenbush, S.W. Hierarchical linear models. Newbury Park, CA: Sage , 1992.

Choi, J.N. Individual and contextual dynamics in innovation-use behavior in organizations. Human Performance, in press.

Davis-Blake, A. & Pfeffer, J. Just a mirage: The search for dispositional effects in organizational research . Academy of Management Review, 1989, 14, 385–400 .

10.

Edwards, J.R. An examination of competing versions of the person–environment fit approach to stress . Academy of Management Journal, 1996, 39, 292–339 .

11.

Gough, H.G. A creative personality scale for the adjective checklist . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1979, 37, 1398–1405 .

12.

Isaksen, S.G., Lauer, K.J., Ekvall, G. & Britz, A. Perception of the best and worst climates for creativity: Preliminary validation evidence for the Situational Outlook Questionnaire . Creativity Research Journal, 2001, 13, 171–184 .

13.

Kristof, A.L. Person–organization fit: An integrative review of its conceptualizations, measurement, and implications . Personnel Psychology, 1996, 49, 1–49 .

14.

Livingstone, L.P., Nelson, D.L. & Barr, S.H. Person–environment fit and creativity: An examination of supply–value and demand–ability versions of fit . Journal of Management, 1997, 23, 119–146 .

15.

Muchinsky, H.A. & Monahan, C.J. What is person–environment congruence? Supplementary versus complementary models of fit . Journal of Vocational Behavior, 1987, 31, 268–277 .

16.

Oldham, G.R. & Cummings, A. Employee creativity: Personal and contextual factors at work . Academy of Management Journal, 1996, 39, 607–634 .

17.

Puccio, G.J., Talbot, R.J. & Joniak, A.J. Examining creative performance in the workplace through a person–environment fit model . Journal of Creative Behavior, 2000, 34, 227–247 .

18.

Rosenthal, R. & Rosnow, R.L. Essentials of behavioral research: Methods and data analysis, 2nd edn. New York: McGraw-Hill , 1991.

19.

Schneider, B. & Reichers, A. On the etiology of climates . Personnel Psychology, 1983, 36, 19–39 .

20.

Scott, S.G. & Bruce, R.A. Determinants of innovative behavior: A path model of individual innovation in the workplace . Academy of Management Journal, 1994, 37, 580–607 .

21.

Smith, G.F. Idea generation techniques: A formulary of active ingredients . Journal of Creative Behavior, 1998, 32, 107–134 .

22.

Stokols, D., Clitheroe, C. & Zmuidzinas, M. Qualities of work environments that promote perceived support for creativity . Creativity Research Journal, 2002, 14, 137–147 .

23.

Taggar, S. Individual creativity and group ability to utilize individual creative resources: A multilevel model . Academy of Management Journal, 2002, 45, 315–330 .

24.

Tierney, P. & Farmer, S.M. Creative self-efficacy: Its potential antecedents and relationship to creative performance . Academy of Management Journal, 2002, 45, 1137–1160 .

25.

Tierney, P., Farmer, S.M. & Graen, G.B. An examination of leadership and employee creativity: The relevance of traits and relationships . Personnel Psychology, 1999, 52, 591–620 .

26.

Van Yperen, N.W., Van den Berg, A.E. & Willering, M.C. Towards a better understanding of the link between participation in decision-making and organizational citizenship behavior: A multilevel analysis . Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 1999, 72, 377–392 .

27.

Vroom, V.H. Work and motivation. New York: Wiley , 1964.

28.

Woodman, R., Sawyer, J. & Griffin, R. Toward a theory of organizational creativity . Academy of Management Review, 1993, 18, 293–321 .

29.

Zhou, J. & George, J.M. When job dissatisfaction leads to creativity: Encouraging the expression of voice . Academy of Management Journal, 2001, 44, 682–696 .

Person–Environment Fit and Creative Behavior: Differential Impacts of Supplies–Values and Demands–Abilities Versions of Fit

Abstract

Get full access to this article

References