ISSN 1671-3710
CN 11-4766/R
主办:中国科学院心理研究所
出版:科学出版社

心理科学进展 ›› 2024, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (11): 1882-1897.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1042.2024.01882

• 研究前沿 • 上一篇    下一篇

突破性创造力与渐进性创造力真的区分开了吗? 基于2011~2024文献的分析

骆南峰, 李统鉴, 陈雯(), 张慧君, 刘俊池, 沈子维   

  1. 中国人民大学劳动人事学院, 北京 100872
  • 收稿日期:2023-12-11 出版日期:2024-11-15 发布日期:2024-09-05
  • 通讯作者: 陈雯, E-mail: ericachenwen@ruc.edu.cn
  • 基金资助:
    教育部人文社会科学基金青年项目(21YJC630010)

Are radical creativity and incremental creativity conceptually and empirically distinctive? An analysis on the 2011~2024 literature

LUO Nanfeng, LI Tongjian, CHEN Wen(), ZHANG Huijun, LIU Junchi, SHEN Ziwei   

  1. School of Labor and Human Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China
  • Received:2023-12-11 Online:2024-11-15 Published:2024-09-05

摘要:

员工创造力一直受到学界的广泛关注, 但以往将创造力作为单一变量越来越不能满足理论与实践的需要。自2011年Gilson和Madjar迁移创新研究文献中的突破性创新和渐进性创新这一对概念, 首次提出将创造力区分为突破性与渐进性两类以来, 相关理论与实证研究逐渐涌现。本文通过回顾此后13年的79篇相关中英文文献, 全面深入检验了区分两种创造力的理论基础与实证证据。结果表明,虽然多数研究在理论上对两者进行了区分, 但仅半数研究基于这两种创造力的差异性构建了研究问题与理论模型。在实证方面, 尽管部分研究呈现了测量工具的区分效度证据, 但多数研究尚未直接检验突破性与渐进性创造力影响差异的显著性。值得注意的是, 仍有超过四成的研究未在理论上进行区分或提供实证支持。总体而言, 未来学界应当在理论论证、研究问题与模型构建、实证检验中协同一致地探究这两种创造力的本质区别与影响。基于此, 指出了一系列有助于未来更好地区分这两种创造力的研究建议, 以及值得进一步探究的研究方向。

关键词: 突破性创造力, 渐进性创造力, 区分效度

Abstract:

Since Gilson and Madjar (2011) first introduced the distinction between radical and incremental creativity, echoing the concepts of radical and incremental innovation in organizational innovation research, related theoretical and empirical studies have gradually emerged. This study reviews 79 relevant articles published between 2011 and 2024, examining the theoretical foundations and empirical evidence supporting the differentiation of these two types of creativity. Our findings show that while most studies theoretically distinguish between radical and incremental creativity, only half of the studies have constructed research questions and theoretical models based on their differences. Empirically, although some studies present evidence of discriminant validity in measurement instruments, most have yet to directly test the significance of the differential impacts of radical and incremental creativity. Notably, over 40% of the studies fail to theoretically distinguish or provide empirical support for the two constructs.

Theoretically, the distinction between radical and incremental creativity is rooted in the literature on organizational innovation and learning (Benner & Tushman, 2003; Dewar & Dutton, 1986), with radical creativity referring to ideas that fundamentally differ from existing practices or products, and incremental creativity representing minor improvements within existing frameworks. This classification is grounded in the creativity component theory (Amabile et al., 1996), which posits that creativity comprises domain-relevant skills, creative-thinking skills, and task motivation, each of which may differentially influence radical and incremental creativity. For instance, internal motivation is more strongly associated with radical creativity, while external motivation tends to enhance incremental creativity.

Empirically, the relationship between radical and incremental creativity remains inconclusive. Within the empirical studies related to radical and incremental creativity in the current review, most studies report a positive correlation between the two, with varying degrees of strength, despite some studies also find negative correlations or no significant relationship. A meta-analysis conducted in this study reveals a moderate positive correlation (r = 0.47) between radical and incremental creativity, suggesting that these constructs are distinct yet related. However, the high correlation may be partly attributed to common method biases in data collection, highlighting the need for more rigorous empirical designs. Regarding discriminant validity, confirmatory factor analyses in the reviewed studies consistently demonstrate that measurement models with separate constructs for radical and incremental creativity fit the data better than those with a single combined construct, providing strong evidence for their distinction. Further, comparisons of average variance extracted (AVE) values and correlation coefficients also support the discriminant validity of the two constructs. Despite these advancements, the empirical evidence for the differentiated impacts of radical and incremental creativity remains limited. Only a minority of studies have directly tested the significance of differences in the regression coefficients of third variables on radical and incremental creativity. These studies reveal that various antecedents, moderators, and consequences exhibit differential effects on the two types of creativity, underscoring the importance of distinguishing them in research.

To advance the field, we propose four aspects for scholars to consider in their future work related with radical and incremental creativity: (1) strengthen the theoretical foundations for distinguishing radical and incremental creativity; (2) adopt more rigorous empirical designs to mitigate common method biases; (3) improve methodology rigor, such as collecting data at different time points or using objective measures; (4) directly test the significance of differences in the impacts of third variables on radical and incremental creativity. In addition, we urge more scholarly attention on exploring the antecedents, moderators, and consequences of the two types of creativity more thoroughly. Specifically, we highlight the following questions for future inquiries: (1) how does factors, such as task complexity, fairness, and culture, influence radical and incremental creativity? (2) how do these two types of creativities impact individuals and organizations differentially? (3) how do team structures, leadership, and culture facilitate or hinder these creativities at a team level? By addressing these gaps, future research can offer a more nuanced understanding of the nature and implications of radical and incremental creativity.

Key words: radical creativity, incremental creativity, discriminant validity

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