Chapter 12: The Dark Side of Creativity and Innovation in Organizations

The analysis of negative consequences of creativity and innovativeness in the workplace widens the perspective concerning various types of aspects of organizational life, indicating that positively evaluated activities of a productive character are not always profitable for employee, team and the whole organization at the same time.

The purpose of this chapter is to analyze the negative consequences of creativity and innovation in the workplace. The dysfunctional aspects of creative behavior have been described from the perspective of individuals, groups, and organizations. The negative effects of individual creativity may include stress associated with creativity tasks, lack of compatibility between demands for creativity and skills, risk taking, unfavorable conditions (e.g., lack of autonomy and control, uncertainty), job dissatisfaction resulting from loss of idea authorship and personal rights, lack of acceptance of ideas as well as the stereotype of so called innovative employee. Regarding the negative effects of team creativity, social aspects were identified—conflicts and performance (productivity and work quality reduction as a function of group work on an idea). The negative effects of organizational level may include lack of acceptance for ideas, creating negative attitudes and competition, need to acquire resources necessary for realization of innovative process and their relocation in an organization, related costs, need to implement systems of knowledge management and competencies management, indispensable for realization of innovative process. They also comprise incorrect evaluation of costs of innovative idea realization, which results in loss of position, uncertainty about effects of innovation implementation (market and customers reactions), resistance and costs related to need for changes in organizational structure in order to adjust organizational functioning to innovation. An analysis of moderators of this impact was also carried out.