Effects of an Information Sharing System on Employee Creativity, Engagement, and Performance
Many service organizations rely on information sharing systems to boost employee creativity to meet customer needs. We conducted a field experiment in a retail chain, based on a registered report accepted by Journal of Accounting Research, to test whether an information sharing system recording employees’ creative work affected the quality of creative work, job engagement, and financial performance. We found that, on average, this system did not have a significant effect on any outcomes. However, it significantly improved the quality of creative work in stores that had accessed the system more frequently and in stores with fewer same-company nearby stores. It also improved creative work and job engagement in stores in divergent markets, where customers needed more customization. We found weak evidence of better financial results where salespeople had lower creative talent before the system was introduced. Our findings shed light on those conditions in which information sharing systems affect employees’ creative work.
Keywords: Information; Knowledge Sharing; Employees; Creativity; Performance;
Citation:
Li, Shelley Xin, and Tatiana Sandino. "Effects of an Information Sharing System on Employee Creativity, Engagement, and Performance." Journal of Accounting Research 56, no. 2 (May 2018): 713–747. View Details