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Organizations are becoming increasingly interested in creativity and innovation, in part as a response to the pressures associated with globalization, competition, economic factors and technology changes. Many organizations see creativity as an opportunity to maintain a competitive advantage and most organizations and researchers alike, evaluate creativity in terms of an original or innovative result (Reiter-Palmon & Illies, 2004). Originality, however, is only one aspect of creativity. An outcome or result is interpreted as creative if it is both novel and appropriate (Amabile, 1996).

Early research on creativity focused on major breakthroughs or radical ideas in science and art (referred to as “Big C”), but these types of creative activities are not always functional in organizations. Organizations need creative output to fit within their vision and goals, so the opportunity to be creative is different, and presents itself in less extreme ways, such as the adaptation of a process or a solution to a problem (known as “Little c”).