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Related Experiment Videos

Creativity under the gun.

Teresa M Amabile1, Constance N Hadley, Steven J Kramer

  • 1Harvard Business School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Harvard Business Review
|August 28, 2002
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Creative work often suffers under tight deadlines, despite anecdotal evidence. Researchers found that focused urgency can foster creativity, but lack of focus or excessive pressure hinders innovation.

Area of Science:

  • Organizational Psychology
  • Cognitive Science

Background:

  • Many managers and individuals believe tight deadlines enhance creative output.
  • Anecdotal evidence, like the NASA Apollo 13 mission, suggests creativity can thrive under extreme pressure.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between time pressure and creativity in project-based work.
  • To identify environmental factors that influence creative innovation under varying time constraints.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of over 9,000 daily diary entries from individuals engaged in creative projects.
  • Measurement of innovation ability across different levels of experienced time pressure.

Main Results:

  • High-pressure days with focused, meaningful urgency were linked to creative success.

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  • Days lacking focus, characterized by frequent task-switching, led to decreased creativity.
  • Low-pressure days with exploratory mindsets fostered creativity, while autopilot work did not.

    • Conclusions:

    • Extreme time pressure generally inhibits creativity, as complex cognitive processes require time.
    • Managers should minimize extreme deadlines when possible to support innovation.
    • When high pressure is unavoidable, understanding and mitigating its negative effects is crucial.