Perceptions of the best and worst climates for creativity: Preliminary validation evidence for the situational outlook questionnaire

This article reports the results of 2 studies conducted to examine the abil ity of the Situational Outlook Questionnaire (TM) (SOQ) to effectively disc ern climates that either encourage or discourage creativity and the ability to initiate change. The purpose of the studies is to examine the concurren t criterion-related validity of the SOQ. The climate for creativity, and ch ange is defined, and the context for the use of the measure in organization al settings is established through the development of a model for organizat ional change. The article presents the history of the SOQ's development and gives a description of the see. The methodology and results of both studie s, including 3 groups, are reported The results of both studies show that w hen individuals complete the SOQ based on their recollection of a best- and worst-case work experience, the measure is able to consistently and signif icantly discriminate between the 2 types of experiences. Conclusions, impli cations, and areas for future research to further examine the validity of t he SOQ are explored.