2001-AMJ-When-Job-Dissatisfaction-Leads-to-Creativ

(s):JingZhouandJenniferM.GeorgeSource:TheAcademyofManagementJournal,Vol.44,No.4,(Aug.,2001),pp.682-696Publishedby:AcademyofManagementStableURL::07/05/200811:56YouruseoftheJSTORarchiveindicatesyouracceptanceofJSTOR'sTermsandConditionsofUse,availableat://=aom.EachcopyofanypartofaJSTORtransmissionmustcontainthesamecopyrightnoticethatappearsonthescreenorprintedpageofsuchtransmission.JSTORisanot-for-profitorganizationfoundedin1995tobuildtrusteddigitalarchivesforscholarship.Weenablethescholarlycommunitytopreservetheirworkandthematerialstheyrelyupon,andtobuildacommonresearchplatformthatpromotesthediscoveryanduseoftheseresources.FormoreinformationaboutJSTOR,[e-mail].?AcademyofManagementJournal2001,Vol.44,No.4,682-696.WHENJOBDISSATISFACTIONLEADSTOCREATIVITY:ENCOURAGINGTHEEXPRESSIONOFVOICEJINGZHOUTexasA&MUniversityJENNIFERM.GEORGERiceUniversityThisstudyfocusedontheconditionsunderwhichjobdissatisfactionwillleadtocreativityasanexpressionofvoice.Wetheorizedthatusefulfeedbackfromcoworkers,coworkerhelpingandsupport,andperceivedorganizationalsupportforcreativitywouldeachinteractwithjobdissatisfactionandcontinuancecommitment(commit-mentmotivatedbynecessity)toresultincreativity.Inasampleof149employees,ashypothesized,employeeswithhighjobdissatisfactionexhibitedthehighestcreativitywhencontinuancecommitmentwashighandwhen(1)usefulfeedbackfromcowork-ers,or(2)coworkerhelpingandsupport,or(3)perceivedorganizationalsupportforcreativitywashigh.Jobsatisfactionisoneofthemostwidelystudiedconstructsinorganizationalbehavior(seeO'Reilly[1991]andStaw[1984],amongothers,forreviews).Althoughtheintuitivelyappealinglinkbetweenjobsatisfactionandjobperformancehasnotbeensupportedbyempiricalresearch(e.g.,Iaffaldano&Muchinsky,1985),animplicitandsometimesex-plicitassumptioninjobsatisfactiontheorizingandresearchisthatahighlevelofjobsatisfactioncon-tributespositivelytoorganizationaleffectivenessandemployeewell-beingandthatalowlevelofjobsatisfaction,orjobdissatisfaction,isdetrimentalfororganizationsandtheirmembers.Thisperspec-tiveisdriven,inpart,byresearchlinkingjobsat-isfactiontoimportantphenomenasuchasabsen-teeism,turnover,andcitizenshipbehavior(e.g.,Hom,Caranikas-Walker,Prussia,&Griffeth,1992;Organ,1988;Steers&Rhodes,1978).However,inaneraemphasizingtheneedforchange,creativity,andinnovationinorganizations,particularlyemployees'initiationoforganizationalchangeefforts(Frohman,1997),onewondersifjobdissatisfactionisalwaysadetrimentfororganiza-tionaleffectiveness.Thatis,organizationmemberswhoaredissatisfiedwiththeirjobsare,inessence,discontentedwiththestatusquo.DiscontentmentcanbeatriggerforchangewhenthosewhoaredissatisfiedseektocomeupwithnewwaystoWegratefullyacknowledgethehelpfulcommentspro-videdbyGregR.Oldham,AngeloS.DeNisi,KimCam-eron,andtwoanonymousreviewersonearlierversionsofthisarticle.WealsothankRickyW.Griffinforhishelpinlocatingtheresearchsite.improvecurrentconditions.Consistentwiththisreasoning,anumberofauthorshavesuggestedthatjobdissatisfactionmayactuallyhaveapositiveimpactonorganizationaleffectiveness(March&Simon,1958;Staw,1984).Theseauthorshavear-guedthatwhenemployeesaredissatisfiedwiththeirjobs,theymaytrytochangetheircurrentworksitu-ationsbycomingupwithnewandbetterwaysofdoingthings(March&Simon,1958;Staw,1984;VanGundy,1987).Comingupwithnewandbetterwaysofdoingthingsistheessenceofcreativity.Employeecreativity-thegenerationofnewandpotentiallyvaluableideasconcerningnewproducts,services,manufacturingmethods,andadministrativepro-cesses-contributestoorganizations'renewal,survival,andgrowthintoday'sturbulentandcom-petitivebusinessenvironment(Amabile,1988;Woodman,Sawyer,&Griffin,1993).Thus,itispossiblethatundercertainconditions,employees'jobdissatisfactionmayactuallyleadtocreativeperformance,whichultimatelybenefitstheirorganization.However,currentlylittleisknownaboutthecircumstancesunderwhichthisfunctionalconsequenceofjobdissatisfactionmayoccur.Thatis,itisnaivetoassertthatjobdissatis-factionwillalwaysleadtocreativityinthework-place,anditisknown,forexample,thatjobdissat-isfactioncanleadtoturnover,whichnegatesthepossibilityofdissatisfiedorganizationalmemberstryingtoimproveconditionsintheorganizationthroughcreativeperformance.Hence,inthisstudy,weseektoidentifytheconditionsunderwhichjobdissatisfactionmayactuallyleadtocreativity.Iden-tifyingsuchconditionsisimportantfortworea-sons.First,dissatisfiedemployeesmayprovidea682ZhouandGeorgepowerfulimpetusforchangeinorganizationsth