Context and creativity: The theory of planned behavior as an alternative mechanism

Creativity researchers have identified intrinsic motivation as the critical intervening process that explains the effects of contextual characteristics on individual creativity. Departing from this prevailing focus on intrinsic motivation, in the present study an alternative theoretical model was advanced based on the theory of planned behavior (TBP; Ajzen, 1991). Specifically, it was proposed that TPB-based psychological mechanisms (attitude toward creativity, creative self-efficacy, and creativity intention) would mediate the effects of contextual factors (leader encouragement and peer support) on individual creative performance. Multisource data collected at 3 time points from 386 students and their 28 instructors largely supported the hypothesized mediating role of creative self-efficacy. The current findings suggest a need to rethink the role of intrinsic motivation in the context-creativity link by identifying alternative psychological mechanisms.