Publications
Publications
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- All HBS Web
(410)
- Faculty Publications (148)
- 2012
- Working Paper
Componential Theory of Creativity
The componential theory of creativity is a comprehensive model of the social and psychological components necessary for an individual to produce creative work. The theory is grounded in a definition of creativity as the production of ideas or outcomes that are both... View Details
- 2012
- Working Paper
Big C, Little C, Howard, and Me: Approaches to Understanding Creativity
This essay, which highlights some of the major contributions that Howard Gardner has made to creativity research, contrasts his approach to my own. While he analyzed cases of "Big C" (world-renowned creativity), I have focused on the more ordinary "Little c"... View Details
- March 2012
- Article
Perspectives on the Social Psychology of Creativity
By: Teresa M. Amabile and Julianna Pillemer
Scholars began serious study into the social psychology of creativity about 25 years after the field of creativity research had taken root. Over the past 35 years, examination of social and environmental influences on creativity has become increasingly vigorous, with... View Details
- January 2012
- Article
How Leaders Kill Meaning at Work
By: Teresa Amabile and Steven J. Kramer
Senior executives routinely undermine creativity, productivity, and commitment by damaging the inner work lives of their employees in four avoidable ways. This article is based on analysis of hundreds of work diaries from professionals describing everyday events that... View Details
- 2011
- Book
The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work
By: Teresa M. Amabile and Steve J. Kramer
The most effective managers have the ability to build a cadre of employees who have great inner work lives-consistently positive emotions; strong motivation; and favorable perceptions of the organization, their work, and their colleagues. The worst managers undermine... View Details
Keywords: Creativity; Interpersonal Communication; Employee Relationship Management; Leadership; Performance Effectiveness; Emotions; Motivation and Incentives; Groups and Teams; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Innovation Leadership; Working Conditions; Management Practices and Processes; Management Skills; Mission and Purpose; Organizational Culture; Performance Productivity; Attitudes; Behavior; Happiness; Perception; Trust; Time Management; Resource Allocation; Business or Company Management; Goals and Objectives; Managerial Roles
- May 2011
- Article
The Power of Small Wins
By: Teresa M. Amabile and Steven J. Kramer
What is the best way to motivate employees to do creative work? Help them take a step forward every day. In an analysis of knowledge workers' diaries, the authors found that nothing contributed more to a positive inner work life (the mix of emotions, motivations, and... View Details
Keywords: Creativity; Interpersonal Communication; Employee Relationship Management; Leadership; Performance Effectiveness; Emotions; Motivation and Incentives; Groups and Teams; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Innovation Leadership; Working Conditions; Management Practices and Processes; Management Skills; Mission and Purpose; Organizational Culture; Performance Productivity; Attitudes; Behavior; Happiness; Perception; Trust; Time Management; Resource Allocation; Business or Company Management; Goals and Objectives; Managerial Roles
- March 2011
- Article
Meeting the Challenges of a Person-Centric Work Psychology
By: Teresa M. Amabile and Steven J. Kramer
In this article, the authors discuss person-centric work psychology, a paradigm developed by H. M. Weiss and D. E. Rupp regarding daily work life psychology. They cited three challenges of the paradigm such as the collection, and analysis of data, the certainty of the... View Details
- 1 Aug 2010
- Conference Presentation
Giving and Seeking Help in Creative Teams: A Field Study at a Design Firm
By: Colin M. Fisher, Teresa M. Amabile and Julianna Pillemer
- 2010
- Article
Creativity
By: Beth A. Hennessey and Teresa M. Amabile
The psychological study of creativity is essential to human progress. If strides are to be made in the sciences, humanities, and arts, we must arrive at a far more detailed understanding of the creative process, its antecedents, and its inhibitors. This review,... View Details
- 2010
- Article
Multi-Rater Assessment of Creative Contributions to Team Projects in Organizations
By: Giovanni B. Moneta, Teresa M. Amabile, Elizabeth Schatzel and Steve J. Kramer
This study examined the convergent and construct validity of ratings of individual creative contributions in a team context. A sample of 201 employees and supervisors, working on 26 team projects, completed the NEO-Five Factor Inventory and rated themselves and their... View Details
- Article
What Really Motivates Workers
By: Teresa M. Amabile and Steve J. Kramer
This essay appears in "The HBR List: Breakthrough Ideas for 2010," which is compiled by this journal in collaboration with the World Economic Forum. The ten problems and the innovative solutions are discussed in each essay. This particular essay describes research... View Details
- winter 2009
- Article
Creativity, Improvisation, and Organizations
By: Colin M. Fisher and Teresa M. Amabile
'Improvisational creativity' involves simultaneously identifying new challenges and generating responses, with little or no time to prepare. View Details
- 15 Aug 2009
- Conference Presentation
Emergent Creativity in Organizations
- 2009
- Chapter
Creativity, Improvisation, and Organizations
By: Colin M. Fisher and Teresa M. Amabile
Although the literatures on both organizational creativity and organizational improvisation have been expanding in recent years, the links between these literatures have not been deeply explored. This chapter explores those links to create a conceptualization of... View Details
- October 2008
- Article
Creativity and the Role of the Leader
By: Teresa M. Amabile and Mukti Khaire
In today's innovation-driven economy, understanding how to generate great ideas has become an urgent managerial priority. Suddenly, the spotlight has turned on the academics who've studied creativity for decades. How relevant is their research to the practical... View Details
- 17 Aug 2008
- Conference Presentation
Creativity and the Psychology of Everyday Work Life
- November 2007 (Revised May 2008)
- Case
Creativity under the Gun at Litmus Corporation
By: Teresa M. Amabile and Yana Litovsky
Teaches students to diagnose the circumstances under which time pressure can facilitate or hinder creativity. A team's creative "genius", Miles Grady, who previously conceptualized a revolutionary material for an important new product, must now significantly change... View Details