Thinking inside the Box: Why Consumers Enjoy Constrained Creative Experiences

From cooking kits to home improvement shows, consumers are increasingly seeking out products that are designed to help them be creative. In this research, the authors examine why consumers participate in creative activities and under what conditions these experiences are the most enjoyable. A qualitative study explores the diverse motivations for undertaking creative tasks and identifies the role of constraints in such endeavors. Then, the authors conduct two experimental studies to understand the importance of constraints (e.g., instructional guidance, target outcomes) in facilitating a balance between perceived competence and autonomy for consumers involved in a creative task. When consumers engage in creative activities with a sense of both autonomy and competence, they enjoy the experience more. The authors discuss implications for managers and provide opportunities for further research.

[1]  R J Sternberg,et al.  Creativity for the new millennium. , 2001, The American psychologist.

[2]  S. Harter.  Effectance Motivation Reconsidered. Toward a Developmental Model , 1978 .

[3]  C. Shalley,et al.  Effects of social-psychological factors on creative performance: the role of informational and controlling expected evaluation and modeling experience. , 2001, Organizational behavior and human decision processes.

[4]  R. Ryan,et al.  Control and information in the intrapersonal sphere: An extension of cognitive evaluation theory. , 1982 .

[5]  D. Holt.  How Consumers Consume: A Typology of Consumption Practices , 1995 .

[6]  J. W. Hutchinson,et al.  Dimensions of Consumer Expertise , 1987 .

[7]  Anselm L. Strauss,et al.  Basics of qualitative research : techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory , 1998 .

[8]  N. Hoffart.  Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory , 2000 .

[9]  Kennon M. Sheldon,et al.  Goal striving, need satisfaction, and longitudinal well-being: the self-concordance model. , 1999, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[10]  A. Strauss,et al.  The discovery of grounded theory: strategies for qualitative research aldine de gruyter , 1968 .

[11]  E. Hirschman,et al.  The Experiential Aspects of Consumption: Consumer Fantasies, Feelings, and Fun , 1982 .

[12]  M. Fortier,et al.  Motivational Determinants of Flow: Contributions From Self-Determination Theory , 1999 .

[13]  E. Deci,et al.  Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. , 2000, The American psychologist.

[14]  Darren W. Dahl,et al.  Designing the Solution: The Impact of Constraints on Consumers' Creativity , 2005 .

[15]  C. Dweck,et al.  Lay dispositionism and implicit theories of personality. , 1997, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[16]  D. A. Kenny,et al.  The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. , 1986, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[17]  Frank R. Kardes,et al.  The role of prior knowledge and missing information in multiattribute evaluation , 1992 .

[18]  Terence A. Oliva,et al.  Play as a Consumption Experience: The Roles of Emotions, Performance, and Personality in the Enjoyment of Games , 1984 .

[19]  Edward L. Deci,et al.  Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behavior , 1975, Perspectives in Social Psychology.

[20]  R. Belk,et al.  Assessing Trustworthiness in Naturalistic Consumer Research , 1989 .

[21]  Cynthia D. Fisher,et al.  The effects of personal control, competence, and extrinsic reward systems on intrinsic motivation , 1978 .

[22]  M. Csíkszentmihályi.  The Costs and Benefits of Consuming , 2000 .

[23]  L. Peñaloza.  Just doing it: A visual ethnographic study of spectacular consumption behavior at Nike Town , 1998 .

[24]  Jacob Goldenberg,et al.  Toward Identifying the Inventive Templates of New Products: A Channeled Ideation Approach , 1999 .

[25]  A. Strauss,et al.  Grounded theory , 2017 .

[26]  Margaret C. Campbell,et al.  Goal Seeker and Persuasion Sentry: How Consumer Targets Respond to Interpersonal Marketing Persuasion , 2004 .

[27]  D. Dahl,et al.  The Influence and Value of Analogical Thinking during New Product Ideation , 2002 .

[28]  John F. Sherry,et al.  Ludic Agency and Retail Spectacle , 2004 .

[29]  James E. Burroughs,et al.  Exploring Antecedents and Consequences of Consumer Creativity in a Problem-Solving Context , 2004 .