Measuring the creativity of marketing vs. non-marketing professionals in South Africa

Abstract

While organisations place increasing importance on their employees' ability to think more creatively (Andriopoulos, 2001; Martins and Terblanche, 2003; Nayak, 2008); there is discontent regarding the quality of creative insight and innovation in these organisations (Dobni, 2010; Hotho and Champion, 2011). Using a survey method, this study evaluates the level of creativity across business organisations in South Africa, and compares the levels of creativity across marketing and non-marketing professionals. The cognitive processes associated with creativity (CPAC) scale (Miller, 2009) was used as a measure of creative thought process. The results indicated that there are no significant differences in creativity scores between the marketing and non-marketing groups. In order to support the pursuit of creativity in organisations, this study recommends that the CPAC scale be validated among a professional sample; and that an instrument that measures all aspects of creative person, process, and press, be developed within a professional context.