Intellectual stimulation and team creative climate in a professional service firm

Sandvik, Alexander Madsen, Croucher, Richard ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9617-734X, Espedal, Bjarne and Selart, Marcus (2018) Intellectual stimulation and team creative climate in a professional service firm. Evidence-based HRM: a Global Forum for Empirical Scholarship, 6 (1) . pp. 39-53. ISSN 2049-3983 [Article] (doi:10.1108/ebhrm-01-2017-0006)

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Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the precise role of intrinsic motivation and autonomy in relation to intellectual stimulation in creating a creative climate in a professional services firm. The intention is to discover whether neo-classical approaches in Nordic knowledge-work contexts that have stressed the primacy of employee monitoring and control find support, in order to assist practitioners.
Design/method: We propose and test a model for the relationship of interest. Our theoretical model is tested through analysis of multilevel data gathered across in two iterations over 2 years from 177 employees and 64 teams in one company.
Findings: We find that intrinsic motivation and autonomy fully mediate the relationship between intellectual stimulation and creative climate. Autonomy exercises a stronger mediating effect than intrinsic motivation.
Limitations: The single company research context’s specificity; causal relationships between variables cannot be empirically investigated; the verified research model cannot claim to represent how the organization actually functions, for which qualitative work is required.
Implications: Theories stressing the primacy of employee autonomy are supported over those emphasising a need for management to monitor and control autonomy-seeking employees Originality/value: We contribute by showing the primacy of perceived employee autonomy in creating a creative climate among knowledge workers.

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