Is Perceived Creativity-Reward Contingency Good for Creativity? The Role of Challenge and Threat Appraisals

To address the complex effect of perceived reward for creativity on creative performance, we examined the role of cognitive appraisal as an individual difference variable. An individual's appraisal of reward for creativity, including challenge appraisal (perceived potential for recognition, growth, or mastery) and threat appraisal (perceived potential for revealing incompetence and damaging self-respect), is hypothesized to shape the effects of perceived reward for creativity. We further expect creativity-related intrinsic motivation to play a mediating role in the perceived reward-creativity relationship. The results of a three-wave field study showed that when challenge appraisal was high, perceived reward was positively related to creative performance through creativity-related intrinsic motivation, whereas when threat appraisal was high, perceived reward was negatively related to creative performance through creativity-related intrinsic motivation. A similar analysis showed that intrinsic task motivation was not able to channel the moderating effect of perceived reward and individual appraisal on creative performance.