PROPOSAL DEFENSE ON THE EFFECT OF POSITIVE AND UPWARD SPIRALS ON EMPLOYEES CREATIVITY (A STUDY OF SOME SELECTED FIRMS IN RIVERS STATE)
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PROPOSAL DEFENSE ON THE EFFECT OF POSITIVE AND UPWARD SPIRALS ON EMPLOYEES CREATIVITY
(A STUDY OF
SOME SELECTED FIRMS IN RIVERS STATE)
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
CONTENT
OF THE PROBLEM
In
an attempt to gain a competitive advantage organizations are now focusing on
enhancing their employees’ creativity, and not merely developing their
technical competencies and skills (Sternberg, 2013). In a changing world and
economy, the role of creativity in the workplace is becoming ever more
prominent. However, a recent report by
the Confederation of British Industry found that not enough firms are fully
exploiting the business ideas of their employees and are not making the most of
their skills (Robinson, 2013). Whilst firms may be encouraging creativity, the
implementation and management of the ideas generated is lacking. Consequently,
many companies are deemed to be falling short of their potential, creating an
innovation gap (Sternberg, 2013).
Organizations
are findings that, as markets become saturated and competition gets stronger,
it is increasingly necessary to find novel or innovative approaches to business
problems and issues. They may look for this creativity in their staff or may even
recruit of the organization by being seen to be creative and cutting edge, and
it can improve productivity and efficiency by solving current problems or
business obstacles (Wladyslaw, 2013).
Of
course, the concept of employee creativity is an elusive one. How can one hope
to enhance creativity if it is not firs defined and measured? This research
work will provide an overview of the concept and ways in which it may be
measured and enhanced in the workplace. Kaufman and Beghetto (2013) posits that
there are many aspects to creativity, but one definition could include ‘the
ability to see existing objects or processes and combine them in different ways
for new purpose or to solve existing issues’. Therefore, a simple definition
uncombined elements; from art, music and invention to household chores, this is
part of the nature of being creative. Another way of approaching the concept of
creativity is by seeing it as a process of exploring the way things are
interrelated (Boden, 2012).
‘Creativity
is the ability to generate novel and useful ideas and solutions to everyday
problems and challenges’. Creative thought can be divided into two types of
reasoning: (Gabora, 2007).
Ø Divergent
thinking: the intellectual ability to think of many original, diverse, and
elaborate ideas.
Ø Convergent
thinking: the intellectual ability to logically evaluate critique and choose
the best idea from a selection of ideas.
Both
abilities are required for creative output. Divergent thinking is essential to
the novelty of creative products whereas convergent thinking is fundamental to
the appropriateness (Kozebtl, Beghetto, and Runco, 2010).
The
concept of creativity may be delineated into three dimensions; the person, the
product and the process. (Mumford, 2013): Person-based-there are many ways to
measure or infer creativeness directly from an individual. For example:
Personality
Measures- Looking at certain personality traits or characteristics associated
with a creative mind, e.g. intelligence, confidence, wit, originally,
informality and tolerance to ambiguity. However, psychologists have been trying
to find the ‘one personality profile of the creative person for many years
without any real solid evidence.
Biographical
Inventories- The use of biographical data. For example, linking family and
educational history to determine the potential sources of an individual’s
creativity, personal interests or hobbies that may indicate a creative mind, or
even personal relationships. Creativity Ability- The direct measurement of
creativeness by example, the unusual uses’ test, and other exercises in
creative thinking or elaboration (Peter, 2009).
Product-based-an
examination of the creative processes employed by an individual to come up with
solutions to problems or design novel products (e.g. feelings experienced
before/during/after the innovation). All people have the potential to be
creative but those who are recognized as being creative have certain awareness
or insight that others don’t. without the abilities needed to be creative, it
is highly unlikely that someone will solve ad creative problem. However, just
because an individual has an ability to do something does not necessarily mean
that they will do it. It is for this reason that employers resort to various
technique to enhance their employees creativity.
In the light of these, Barbara (2013) averred
that the positive emotions and upwards spirals could be used to achieve the
positivism on employee creativity in the work environment via its
broaden-and-build theory and emotional intelligence theory.
The
broaden-and-build theory (Fredrickson, 2001) predicts that positive emotions
are useful in several ways. They guide present behaviour, by broadening one’s
attention and cognition, setting the stage for creative, explorative, and
innovation pursuits. As well, positive emotions build personal and social
resources to help and- build theory, emotional intelligence theory marks the
intersection between two fundamental components of psychology: the cognitive
and the emotional systems. By linking the two theories, it becomes apparent
that the knowledge and use of positive emotions comprise an important skill set
for effective personal and social functioning.
Given
the beneficial effects of positive emotions and emotional intelligence on
physical and psychological well-being, it may be useful to modify current
theories of emotional intelligence to include a discussion of positive
emotions. To date, most research and theory about emotional intelligence
focuses on recognizing, understanding and managing negative emotions in the
service of effective of how positive emotions may be important to the construct
of emotional intelligence. However, the ability to recognize and use positive
emotions to manage negative circumstance can have beneficial effects to one’s
well-being. Thus, understanding these benefits and using positive emotions to
one’s advantage during times of stress may exemplify emotional intelligence.
It
is likely that an emotionally intelligent person can fully appreciate the
advantages of positive emotions. One of the main determinants of the
intelligent management of emotions is having accesses to one’s own emotional
life (Mayer and Salovey, 1993). This involves the ability to draw on one’s
feelings as means of understanding and guiding one’s behaviour. However, our
data also suggest that emotionally intelligent skills might be taught and
interventions developed to promote them. In other words, a person may learn to
develop internal models of emotion that include standard of effective emotional
functioning. More specifically, interventions may be used to teach individuals
how to effectively utilize their knowledge of positive emotions in opportune
moments to optimize their well-being as well as their personal and social
growth.
In sum, investigating the broaden-and-build
theory of positive emotions in conjunction with emotional intelligence theory
provides greater insight into the reasons why certain emotionally-intelligent
individuals are able to effectively function within society while others may
not fare as well. These individuals may possess complex understanding of their
positive emotions, and use this
knowledge to resourcefully adapt in response to negative stimuli. It is also
conceivable that emotionally intelligent individuals proactively cultivate
emotions as paths towards development and growth, a direct implication of the
broaden- and- build theory. Thus, positive emotions are key resources that
should be recognized for their worth- while positive emotions are a part of
everyday life; they are not merely experiences that produce momentary pleasures.
Indeed, they also appear essential for effective and optimal personal and
social functioning.
From
the forgoing, we can see that little has been said by scholars on how broaden
thought action repertories and emotional wellbeing can be used to enhance
employee creativity thought, brainstorming and innovativeness via divergent
thinking and convergent thinking prior to the identified knowledge gap in the
area binding the topic discussed. The reason may be explained by either
disciplinary concept of the researchers in the context which the study was
conducted. This work therefore, tends to explain how we can use
broaden-and-build and emotional intelligence to enhance persons-based
creativity, process-based creativity and product-based creativity so as to fill
the gap.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
There
has been a lot of bottleneck on organizations in Africa trying to conceptualize
effect of positive emotions and upward spirals on employee creativity. This is
because the broaden though and build factors such as love, joy, happiness,
though action repertoire, excitement, hope, amusement, pride, inspiration,
interest, gratitude, emotional wellbeing, life balancing the socio- economic
and cultural influence that poses threats and challenges to employee manhood.
This
has created certain manifestations in the organizations such as poor
maintenance in factories, obsolescence, deterioration, demurrage, low
productivity and profitability, low employee morale and loyalty etc.
However,
the negligence of the positive emotions and upward spiral syndromes in
organizations has led to diminishing in employee emotional intelligence. This
has jeopardized employee creative capability prior to person- based creativity,
process based creativity and product based creativity.
If
proper maintenance culture on employee creativity is not integrated into the
activities of the organizational settings, it will detriment into a negative
effect such as loses in the profitability, decline in growth, low divergent and
convergent thinking, and poor innovativeness, psychomotor and cognitive
ability.
The major problem firms’ encounter is aligned
its emotional intelligence and broaden-and-build towards enhancing their
productivity, profitability, strategic change, innovativeness measures and
growth so as to prevent losses in processes-based creativity, product-based
creativity and person-based creativity towards achieving corporate success
Another
fundamental challenge firms encountered is to maintain consistency and
proficiency in the upward spirals effect on emotional intelligence so as to
stimulate happiness, mental health, joy, and love on the dynamism of process
changes in the business environment.
In
the tails of these, this study will address the fundamental challenge that
poses threats to the application of broaden thought and emotional intelligence
in antecedent to the employee creativity.
Furthermore,
the conceptual variables in collaboration with their sub-indicators are shown
below in a framework model below.
CONCEPTUALIZED FRAMEWORK ON THE
VARIABLE ON POSITIVE EMOTIONS AND UPWARD SPIRALS AND EMPLOYEE CREATIVITY
Independent
Variable Dependent
Variable |
||||
 |
||||
 |
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1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
Generally,
this work tends to investigate the relationship between the effect of positive
emotions and upward spirals on employee creativity.
In
a more specific sense the purpose of the study include the following;
1. To
examine if there exist any significant relationship between broaden-and-build
and person-based creativity in the organization.
2. To
examine if there exist any significant relationship between broaden-and-build
and product-based creativity in the organization.
3. To
examine if there exist any significant relationship between broaden-and-build
and process-based creativity in the organization.
4. To
examine if there exist any significant relationship between emotional
intelligence and person-based creativity in the organization.
5. To
examine if there exist any significant relationship between emotional
intelligence and product-based creativity in the organization.
6. To
examine if there exist any significant relationship between emotional
intelligence and process-based creativity in the organization.
7. To
examine if there exist any significant relationship between corporate culture
on positive emotions and employee’s creativity in the organization.
1.4 RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
This
study addressed issues relating to the following pertinent questions emerging
within the domain of study problems. However, the research questions are
itemized below as; viz:
1. To
what extent is there any significant relationship between broaden-and-build and
person-based creativity in the organization?
2. To
what extent is there any significant relationship between broaden-and-build and
product-based creativity in the organization?
3. To
what extent is there any significant relationship between broaden-and-build and
process-based creativity in the organization?
4. To
what extent is there any significant relationship between emotional
intelligence and person-based creativity in the organization?
5. To
what extent is there any significant relationship between emotional
intelligence and product-based creativity in the organization?
6. To
what extent is there any significant relationship between emotional
intelligence and process-based creativity in the organization?
7. To
what extent is there any significant relationship between corporate culture
influence on positive emotions and employee’s creativity in the organization?
1.5 HYPOTHESES
To
proffer useful answers to the research questions and realize the study
objectives, the following hypotheses are stated in their null form, such as:
H01:
There is significant relationship between broaden-and-build and person-based
creativity in the organization.
H02: There is no significant relationship between
broaden-and-build and person-based creativity in the organization.
H03: There is no
significant relationship between broaden-and-build and process-based creativity
in the organization.
H04:
There is no significant relationship between emotional intelligence and
person-based creativity in the organization.
H05:
There
is no significant relationship between emotional intelligence and product-based
creativity in the organization
H06: There is no
significant relationship between emotional intelligence and process-based
creativity in the organization
H07: There is no
significant relationship between positive emotions and employee creativity in
the organization.
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE STUDY
The
significance of the study is frame on the policy maker, researcher, human
resource analyst, organizational psychologist scholars/experts and the
organization.
Policy Maker:
Guides the stakeholders and corporate establishment in formulating policy and
decision making in antecedent to the comparative dynamism of socio-cultural
influence on broaden thought action repertories, upwards impression, mental
health and wellness, life balancing, joy, happiness, love and excitement.
Researcher: Investigates the effects of positive emotions
and upward spirals on employees productivity in public and private organization
in Nigeria prior to broaden-and-build theory and private emotional intelligence
in alignment with enhancing organizational
productivity, person-based creativity, product-based creativity and
process-based creativity towards achieving her corporate goals and objectives.
Human Resource Analyst:
Ascertain prominent issue on an in –depth analysis of workplace policy,
procedures and strategic decision making of efficiency in the discrimination
precept.
Organization Psychologist:
Shows how the works of Barbara Fredrickson could utilizes joyfulness, ,mental
health, happiness, love and excitement, healthy wellbeing can enhance employee
thinking capability, innovativeness etc in the work environment prior to
socio-cultural influences.
Maintenance Cultural Experts:
Analyses the impact of organizational culture sub-indicators such as power
distance, uncertainty avoidance and individualism vs collectivism in an
organizational settings.
Management:
Utilizes the concept of the positive emotions and upward spirals to formulate
strategies on prior to the determination of investment opportunities and
reduces the bottleneck on that affects organizational effectiveness and
efficiency.
Also,
this research work will be beneficial to the SME’s capital market, money
market, oil sector, multi-nationals, political, sector, legal adviser, CBN and
financial institution.
1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The
conceptual scope of the study is grounded on the investigating the effect of
positive emotions and upward spirals on employee creativity in alignment with
enhancing broaden-and-build and emotional intelligence prior to the
product-based creativity, process-based creativity and person-based creativity.
The
theoretical scope of the study is centered on psychologist Barbara Fredrickson
(2013), who has spent more than 20 years investigating the relatively uncharted
terrain of positive emotions, which she says can make us healthier and happier
if we take time to cultivate them in liaison the various modern scholars on the
context.
Whereas,
the geographical scope of this study is centered on selected firms in Rivers
State. Thus, these are;
1. Pabod Breweries
2. Nigeria Bottling Company (NBC)
3. Dophi Nig Ltd
4. Tibal Table Waters
5. First Aluminum
Study Units
Data
is generated from individual members for the study unit. Individual members
from the firms mentioned above were the main unit under study.
Level of Analysis
There
are two level of analysis being the micro and macro levels of research
(Sullivan, 2011). The micro is the face to face social interaction which occurs
among individuals. The focus is on individuals while the macro level of
analysis concentrates on groups which are a large scale social structure. For
the purpose of this study, the micro is adopted using the individual as our
level of analysis.
1.8 LIMITATION
OF THE STUDY
Morecover,
Baridam (2001), averred that every study has certain limitation which fall
short of the ideas which the researchers has established or recognized.
Knowledge of these limitations is essential for an interpretation of the
findings. And it was really limited because getting the response for the
questionnaire from all the respondents, hence the sample size is reduced
unavoidable and the analysis of the data is based on observed population not on
expected population. Also, not all respondent returned their questionnaires and
some were bias. Also, certain financial and logistics constraints where
encountered.
1.9 DEFINITION
OF TERMS
v Person-Based Creativity: There
are many ways to measure or infer creativeness directly from an individual.
v Personality Measure:
Looking at certain personality traits or characteristics associated with a
creative mind.
v Creative Ability:
The direct measurement of creativeness by testing and individual with various
established tests.
v Product-Based Creativity:
A more objective measure involving the assessment of an individual’s pervious
work for creativity and innovation.
v Process-Based Creativity:
An examination of the creative processes employed by an individual to come up
with solutions to problems or design novel products.
v Output:
This is an auxiliary output measures to enhance productivity pre-determined
results.
v Productivity:
This is the ratio of a volume measure of output to a volume measure of input
use.
v Broaden-and-Build:
It aims to stimulate thought action and repertories towards positivism of
employees wellbeing, happiness, joy, love, mental health wellness and
excitement.
v Emotional Intelligence:
It is the stock of reasoning faculty and intelligent quotient that is attached
to individual feelings.
v Creativity:
This is the ability to generate novel and useful ideas and solutions to
everyday problems and challenges.
v Divergent Thinking:
The intellectual ability to think of many original, diverse, and elaborate
ideas.
v Convergent Thinking:
The intellectual ability to logically evaluate critique and choose the best
idea from a selection of ideas.
1.10 ORGANIZATION
OF THE STUDY
This
study is organized as follows. Chapter one is the introduction and is composed
of the overview problem statement, research purpose, research questions,
research hypothesis, significance of the study, scope and limitation of the
study.
Chapter
two covers the literature review. The researchers made an attempt to explore
what previous researchers have done.
Chapter
three is the researcher methodology; it covers the research design population,
sampling produces, data collection method, data analysis techniques etc.
Chapter
four is data presentation, analysis and interpretation.
Chapter
five concerned with discussions of findings, conclusion and recommendation.
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