This Article Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 0149206308318611v1 34/4/786    most recent References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Madjar, N. Articles by Shalley, C. E. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Multiple Tasks' and Multiple Goals' Effect on Creativity: Forced Incubation or Just a Distraction?

Department of Management, School of Business, University of Connecticut, 2100 Hillside Road, Unit 1041, Storrs CT 06269, nora.madjar{at}business.uconn.edu

Christina E. Shalley

College of Management, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA

The authors examine the effects of multiple goals on three different tasks (i.e., two creativity tasks and one intervening task) and the discretion to switch back and forth between tasks on creative performance. They propose that individuals' focus of attention and cognitive exhaustion may explain the hypothesized effects on incubation and subsequent creativity. Results demonstrate the highest creativity when individuals have goals for all tasks and discretion to switch between them. The results in part are explained by focus of attention and cognitive exhaustion. The authors discuss how multiple tasks'and goals' effect on creativity can lead to forced incubation.

Key Words: creativity • goals • incubation • multitasking

This version was published on August 1, 2008

Journal of Management, Vol. 34, No. 4, 786-805 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0149206308318611


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?