Mood, motivational orientation, fit, and creativity: The role of mental activation

Mood, motivational orientation, fit, and creativity: The role of mental activation M. Baas, C K W De Dreu, & B A Notad, Gedrag & Organisatie, volume 23, March 2010, nr 1, pp 73-90 This article aims to increase our understanding of the ways mood and motivational states influence creativity Based on the dual pathway to creativity model, we argue that creativity is function of flexibility (the number of content categories that is surveyed), and of persistence (the exploration of a few content categories in great depth). Second, the model argues that affective and motivational states that activate the individual (e g, happiness, anger, fear, approach states, unsuccessful avoidance motivation) enhance creativity as compared to motivational states that deactivate the individual (e g, sadness, relaxed state, successful avoidance) We discuss a series of experiments that support these predictions. Furthermore, the positive effects of activating states are stronger when the creativity task fits the motivational state We end with practical implications for managers and policy makers about how to boost employee creativity