How others light the creative spark: Low power accentuates the benefits of diversity for individual inspiration and creativity

Abstract

Power has been shown to liberate actors from situational influences that harm creativity because they elicit conformity. However, the workplace creativity literature recognizes that situational factors can also promote creativity. In this paper, we combine these findings and investigate whether this means that low-power actors benefit more from creativity-enhancing situational factors. Specifically, we test how power attenuates the impact of diversity in an actor’s environment on individual inspiration and creativity. Data from two large survey studies and one archival study provide converging evidence for the proposed contingent benefits of diversity for low-power actors’ inspiration and creativity. Together, the results of these studies demonstrate that low power may render individuals more receptive to social influences conducive to creativity, such as diversity, thereby facilitating individuals’ feelings of inspiration and displayed creativity.