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Guardrails on the Creative Process: The Impact of Decision Rights and Incentives on Creativity

Alisa G. Brink et al.

Behavioral Research in Accounting2025https://doi.org/10.2308/bria-2024-017article
AJG 3ABDC A
Weight
0.37

Abstract

Our study investigates how decision-making rights—specifically, the prerogative of identifying which of one’s own creative products advances for consideration—affect employee creativity under performance-dependent and fixed compensation. Drawing on the dual-process perspective of creativity and satisficing behavior, this study proposes that employees without decision rights over the selection of their creative output exhibit superior creative performance when compensated based on the creativity of their output, as opposed to their counterparts with such decision rights. In fixed compensation settings, decision rights do not have a discernible effect on creative outcomes. Decision rights under performance-dependent compensation prompt employees to engage in less divergent thinking, more convergent thinking, and to exhibit satisficing behavior that ultimately curtails the production of creative work. This study demonstrates how structuring decision rights and aligning them with compensation systems can enhance creative performance, providing organizations with actionable insights for fostering innovation while maintaining managerial control. Data Availability: Contact the authors. JEL Classifications: D91; M41; M49; O31.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.2308/bria-2024-017

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@article{alisa2025,
  title        = {{Guardrails on the Creative Process: The Impact of Decision Rights and Incentives on Creativity}},
  author       = {Alisa G. Brink et al.},
  journal      = {Behavioral Research in Accounting},
  year         = {2025},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.2308/bria-2024-017},
}

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Evidence weight

0.37

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.16 × 0.4 = 0.06
M · momentum0.53 × 0.15 = 0.08
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.