Employees make valuable creative contributions in a wide variety of ways ranging from breakthrough discoveries to incremental improvements in processes. This study focuses on understanding how to optimize sustainable employee creative contributions by examining the relationships between organizational, managerial, and employee factors both in the preparation phase for being creative and when employee creativity is interrupted. The findings of this study show that an integrated view of the factors in creativity preparation and persistence is validated and that what appears to matter most in overcoming creativity interruptions is individualizing and sustaining organizational support for creativity.

Do you relate to Dilbert's view of the work environment as endless rows of bland cubicles or are you fortunate to work in an environment that promotes creativity and flexibility? Organizations are increasingly turning to flexible work environments to decrease costs and/or improve productivity. But what does this mean to the individual employee? What are the potential drawbacks and benefits organizations need to understand?