A valence and arousal circumplex examination of affect and creativity at work

Abstract

Whether and how affect is related to creativity is a central inquiry in work and organizational psychology. Research has demonstrated that, in general, both positive and negative feelings have the potential to foster the development of novel ideas in the workplace. Nevertheless, drawing on core affect theory, we argue that in addition to affective valence, arousal of feelings should also be taken in account, using a circumplex approach for a complete and finer-grained approach to this phenomenon. Therefore, we revisit this question by asking Do affective experiences compounded of different blends of valence and arousal relate to creativity at work? Results of a diary study showed that the function of affect relative to creativity in the workplace could be positive, negative, or null depending on one of the 12 valence and arousal compounds examined. Theory and research developed here suggest that the interplay between affect and creativity is more complex than many scholars have believed, which has implications for affect management in organizations.