A Critical Analysis of the Workplace Creativity Criterion Space

Abstract

This article outlines a criterion-oriented framework for understanding workplace creativity. Drawing from research on job performance, the authors make three important conceptual distinctions. First, they add theoretical and methodological precision to the workplace creativity literature by separating creative performance behaviors from the creative outcomes they produce. Second, they explain inconsistent findings in the extant creativity literature by distinguishing expected versus unexpected creative performance behaviors. Third, they provide an alternative approach to conceptualizing and measuring novelty and usefulness by considering them as formative dimensions of a creative outcome. These distinctions form the basis for their framework, which provides researchers with a theoretically grounded approach to measuring creativity in a more nuanced way. Finally, the authors highlight several key avenues for future research.