Positive and negative creativity in groups, institutions, and organizations: A model and theoretical extension

Potential environmental and individual influences on creativity at work are described with an emphasis on how they relate to the possibility that crea tivity can be directed toward either positive or negative ends. A model of the psychological processes that might underlie positive and negative creat ivity is briefly delineated, and some outcomes of each type of creativity a re outlined. The main focus is on the factors that might trigger the proces ses of and outcomes from positive and negative creativity and only tangenti ally on the cognitive processes underlying creativity and on the organizati onal outcomes of creativity. Literature from settings other than organizati ons (e.g., families, schools) that have been subject to limited theoretical and empirical attention of scholars of organizational and group processes and outcomes is mustered to support the theory.