Read carefully "Examining the Evidence: Organizational Support and Creativity" and answer the critical-thinking questions.

Examining the EvidenceOrganizational Support and Creativity

Research findings support the idea that employee perceptions of a supportive organization help to facilitate creativity.* But exactly how does organizational support translate into employee creativity? Researchers Chongxin Yu and Stephen J. Frenkel of the University of New South Wales examined this question in a study of 206 bank employees in China.^ Their findings demonstrate that perceived organizational support, which is the extent to which employees perceive that they are valued and cared for by the organization, as delivered by middle managers, affected employee creativity by strengthening two factors: employees' identification with their work unit and their expectations of career success. These results suggest that factors that engage intrinsic motivationas heightened work group identification and career success expectations dowill be more likely to result in creative behaviors than extrinsic motivational factors such as felt obligation to care about and to assist the organization in the process of achieving its goals. To facilitate more creativity in the workplace, then, managers should engage in supportive behaviors that encourage employees to feel connected to their peers and to anticipate the possibility of a successful career path in the organization.

Critical-Thinking Questions

1. In what ways can managers help employees feel more connected to their work group and to have expectations a successful career path? (make sure to base your assessment on scholarly and practitioner literature, not just your opinion and include sources)
2. What can managers do to try to avoid feelings of obligation among employees that could undermine creativity? (make sure to base your assessment on scholarly and practitioner literature, not just your opinion and include sources)