@article{89c6370a932d4178964b277370accec7,
title = "Incentivizing the creative process: From initial quantity to eventual creativity",
abstract = "In two experiments, we examine whether performance-contingent incentives facilitate the creative process by enhancing the initial preparation that precedes creative incubation. The defining characteristic of both experiments is a second-stage task that is separated in time from the first-stage implementation of different incentive schemes. In Experiment 1, the second stage takes place ten days after we implement conditions with quantity incentives, high-creativity incentives, incentives with a minimum-creativity threshold, and a fixed-pay control condition. In Experiment 2, we test the effects of incentives with an incubation period of 20 minutes, during which an experimenter escorts participants on a walk between compensated work periods. In both experiments, we find that participants with quantity incentives outperform the high-creativity production of their fixed-pay counterparts only in the second-stage task. Mediation analyses suggest that quantity-incentivized participants{\textquoteright} propensity to try more divergent ideas in the first stage sparks their creativity advantage in the second stage.",
keywords = "Creative process, Incentives, Incubation, Long-term production",
author = "Kachelmeier, {Steven J.} and Wang, {Laura W.} and Williamson, {Michael G.}",
note = "Funding Information: We appreciate comments on previous versions from Kathryn Kadous (editor), two anonymous reviewers, E. B. Altiero, Scott Asay, Spencer Anderson, Tim Bauer, Jason Brown, Will Ciconte, Dan Collins, Angelo Ditillo, Stephanie Grant, Andy Kitto, Lisa LaViers, Justin Leiby, Michael Majerczyk, Bill Messier, Sharon Noppe, Andreas Ostermaier, Kathy Rupar, Tom Vance, Brian White, and Xinyu Zhang. We also received helpful comments from participants at the 2015 Management Accounting Section Midyear Meeting, the 2016 American Accounting Association Annual Meeting, and workshop participants at Bocconi University, University of Florida, Georgia State University, University of Graz, Harvard University, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Indiana University, The University of Iowa, Maastricht University, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, University of Notre Dame, The Ohio State University, Technical University of Munich, The University of Texas at Arlington, and The University of Texas at Austin. The first author is grateful for the support of the Randal B. McDonald Chair in Accounting, and the third author is grateful for the support of the A. C. Littleton Professorship in Accountancy. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2019 American Accounting Association. All rights reserved.",
year = "2019",
month = mar,
doi = "10.2308/accr-52196",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "94",
pages = "249--266",
journal = "Accounting Review",
issn = "0001-4826",
publisher = "American Accounting Association",
number = "2",
}