Teresa M. Amabile

Teresa Amabile is a Baker Foundation Professor at Harvard Business School. Originally educated and employed as a chemist, Teresa received her Ph.D. in psychology from Stanford University. Her current research investigates how people approach and experience the transition to retirement. Previously, her 45-year program of research on how the work environment can influence creativity and motivation yielded a theory of creativity and innovation; methods for assessing creativity, motivation, and the work environment; and a set of prescriptions for maintaining and stimulating innovation. More recently, she researched and published on how life inside organizations can influence people and their performance. Her current research program focuses on psychological and social aspects of the retirement transition.

Teresa’s work has earned several awards: the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Management’s OB Division (2018); the Distinguished Scholar Award from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (2017); the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Israel Organizational Behavior Conference (2018); the Center for Creative Leadership Best Paper Award (in Leadership Quarterly) (2005); and the Torrance Award from the National Association for Gifted Children (1998). In 2020, she was named one of the top 50 scholars, by citation count, in business/management (PLOS Biology). She has presented her theories, research results, and practical implications to various groups in business, government, and education, including Apple, IDEO, Procter & Gamble, Roche Pharma, Genentech, TEDx Atlanta,the Society for Human Resource Management, and Pfizer. In addition to participating in various executive programs at Harvard Business School, she created the MBA course Managing for Creativity, and has taught several courses to first-year MBA students. Teresa was the host/instructor of Against All Odds: Inside Statistics, a 26-part instructional series originally produced for broadcast on PBS. She is a director of Seaman Corporation, and has served on the boards of other organizations.

Teresa is the author of The Progress Principle, Creativity in Context, and Growing Up Creative, as well as over 150 scholarly papers, chapters, case studies, and presentations. Her papers include: Understanding Retirement Requires Getting Inside People's Stories (Work, Aging, and Retirement); The Undervalued Power of Self-relevant Research: The Case of Researching Retirement while Retiring (Academy of Management Perspectives); Creativity (Annual Review of Psychology); Deep Help in Complex Project Work: Guiding and Path-clearing across Difficult Terrain (Academy of Management Journal); The Downside of Downtime: The Prevalence and Work Pacing Consequences of Idle Time at Work (Journal of Applied Psychology); Leader Behaviors and the Work Environment for Creativity: Perceived Leader Support (Leadership Quarterly); and Affect and Creativity at Work (Administrative Science Quarterly). She has also published several articles in Harvard Business Review.

Personal Website: www.teresaamabile.com

Featured Work

How to Help (Without Micromanaging)

Harvard Business Review, Jan.-Feb. 2021 issue

Extensive research shows that when employees get hands-on managerial support, they perform better than when they’re left to their own devices, but unnecessary or unwanted help can be demoralizing and counterproductive. So how do you intervene constructively?

The authors share three key lessons learned during 10 years of study: (1) Step in only when people are engaged in a challenging task and ready to accept help; (2) clarify that your role is to offer assistance, not take over the project or judge anyone; and (3) align the rhythm of your involvement to employees’ needs, determining whether the situation calls for intensive guidance in the short term or intermittent path clearing over a prolonged period. These strategies are especially valuable for helping teams that are physically separated, as so many are during the current pandemic.

Diary Study Database Available to Researchers

Academic researchers now have free access to data from Teresa Amabile’s daily diary study of 200+ professionals working on 26 creative projects in 7 companies in 3 industries. These data cover topics such as motivation, emotion, work environment, creativity, and productivity.  Diary data were collected each weekday throughout the life of the projects or discrete project phases – over 4 months on average, and up to 9 months; the response rate was 75%. Most projects involved new product development. Publications based on the data have included the book The Progress Principle, as well as several scholarly journal articles, practitioner articles, and case studies. The database includes detailed coding of “event of the day” stories from the nearly 12,000 diary submissions, as well as quantitative measures of psychological state collected daily; performance ratings collected from close colleagues and supervisors monthly; and demographics, personality, motivational orientation, cognitive style, perceptions of the work environment, and other measures, collected at other times during the study. Look for the Daily Diary Study database on Harvard University’s Dataverse platform:  http://dx.doi.org/10.7910/DVN/25463

TEDx Atlanta

Investigating how life inside organizations can influence people and their performance

Teresa Amabile draws from her new book The Progress Principle to explain how companies can overcome the "crisis of disengagement" occurring in the workplace.

The Progress Principle

Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work.

By  Teresa M. Amabile, and Steven J. Kramer.

Harvard Business Review Press, 2011.

The most effective managers have the ability to build a cadre of employees who have great inner work lives-consistently positive emotions; strong motivation; and favorable perceptions of the organization, their work, and their colleagues. The worst managers undermine inner work life, often unwittingly. As Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer explain in The Progress Principle, seemingly mundane workday events can make or break employees' inner work lives. But it's forward momentum in meaningful work-progress-that creates the best inner work lives. Through rigorous analysis of nearly 12,000 diary entries provided by 238 employees in seven companies, the authors explain how managers can foster progress and enhance inner work life every day. The book shows how to remove obstacles to progress, including meaningless tasks and toxic relationships. It also explains how to activate two forces that enable progress: 1) catalysts-events that directly facilitate project work, such as clear goals and autonomy and 2) nourishers-interpersonal events that uplift workers, including encouragement and demonstrations of respect and collegiality. Filled with stories from the companies studied, The Progress Principle equips aspiring and seasoned leaders alike with the insights they need to maximize their people's performance.

IDEO's Culture of Helping

Harvard Business Review, Jan.-Feb. 2014 issue

In the highest-performing companies, it is a norm that colleagues support one another’s efforts to do the best work they can. After spending two years observing, interviewing people, and conducting surveys at one office of IDEO, the authors discovered four keys to building a help-friendly organization that leaders of other organizations could learn and apply to similar effect.

Do Happier People Work Harder?

The New York Times, Sept. 3, 2011

In this New York Times opinion piece, Teresa Amabile and coauthor Steven Kramer outline actions that business leaders can take to reignite passion for work and revitalize creative productivity even in tough economic times.

How Leaders Kill Meaning at Work

McKinsey Quarterly, January 2012 Issue

In this article, authors Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer seek to help C-suite managers understand the traps that can impair the productivity of their workforce. By identifying the issues that regularly challenge the efficiency and creativity of employees, the authors aim to help leaders provide meaningful goals while avoiding four costly traps that can have negative effects on the inner work lives and performance of their employees. 

Books

• Amabile, Teresa M., and Steve J. Kramer. The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work. Harvard Business Review Press, 2011. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. Creativity in Context. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1996. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. Growing Up Creative. New York: Crown, 1989. View Details
• Hennessey, Beth A., and T. M. Amabile. Creativity and Learning. Washington, D.C.: National Education Association, 1987. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. The Social Psychology of Creativity. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1983. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. and M. L. Stubbs, eds. Psychological Research in the Classroom: Issues for Educators and Researchers. New York: Pergamon Press, 1982. View Details

Journal Articles

• Harrison, Spencer, Elizabeth D. Rouse, Colin M. Fisher, and Teresa M. Amabile. "The Turn Toward Creative Work." Academy of Management Collections 1, no. 1 (2022): 1–15. View Details
• Steiner, Jeff, and Teresa M. Amabile. "What Do I Make of the Rest of My Life? Global and Quotidian Life Construal across the Retirement Transition." Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 171 (July 2022). View Details
• Fisher, Colin M., Teresa M. Amabile, and Julianna Pillemer. "How to Help (Without Micromanaging)." Harvard Business Review 99, no. 1 (January–February 2021): 123–127. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Understanding Retirement Requires Getting Inside People's Stories: A Call for More Qualitative Research." Work, Aging and Retirement 5, no. 3 (July 2019): 207–211. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and Douglas T. (Tim) Hall. "The Undervalued Power of Self-relevant Research: The Case of Researching Retirement While Retiring." Academy of Management Perspectives 35, no. 3 (August 2021): 347–366. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Creativity, Artificial Intelligence, and a World of Surprises." Academy of Management Discoveries 6, no. 3 (September 2020). View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., Dana Vashdi, E. Miron-Spektor, and Vered Holzmann. "How to Make Sure Good Ideas Don't Get Lost in the Shuffle." Harvard Business Review (website) (June 6, 2018). View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Educating Leaders Who Make a Difference in the World." Perspectives on Psychological Science 14, no. 1 (January 2019): 7–11. View Details
• Fisher, Colin M., Julianna Pillemer, and Teresa M. Amabile. "Deep Help in Complex Project Work: Guiding and Path-Clearing Across Difficult Terrain." Academy of Management Journal 61, no. 4 (August 2018): 1524–1553. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "In Pursuit of Everyday Creativity." Journal of Creative Behavior 51, no. 4 (December 2017): 335–337. View Details
• Brodsky, Andrew, and Teresa M. Amabile. "The Downside of Downtime: The Prevalence and Work Pacing Consequences of Idle Time at Work." Journal of Applied Psychology 103, no. 5 (May 2018): 496–512. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and Michael G. Pratt. "The Dynamic Componential Model of Creativity and Innovation in Organizations: Making Progress, Making Meaning." Research in Organizational Behavior 36 (2016): 157–183. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa, Colin M. Fisher, and Julianna Pillemer. "IDEO's Culture of Helping." Harvard Business Review 92, nos. 1-2 (January–February 2014): 54–61. View Details
• Wageman, Ruth, and Teresa M. Amabile. "J. Richard Hackman (1940–2013)." American Psychologist 69, no. 1 (January 2014): 80. View Details
• Hennessey, Beth A., and Teresa M. Amabile. "Creativity." Annual Review of Psychology 61 (2010): 569–598. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and Steve J. Kramer. "What Really Motivates Workers." Harvard Business Review 88, nos. 1/2 (January–February 2010): 44–45. (#1 in Breakthrough Ideas for 2010.) View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and Julianna Pillemer. "Perspectives on the Social Psychology of Creativity." Journal of Creative Behavior 46, no. 1 (March 2012): 3–15. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa, and Steven J. Kramer. "How Leaders Kill Meaning at Work." McKinsey Quarterly, no. 1 (January 2012): 124–131. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and Steven J. Kramer. "The Power of Small Wins." Harvard Business Review 89, no. 5 (May 2011). View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and Steven J. Kramer. "Meeting the Challenges of a Person-Centric Work Psychology." Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice 4, no. 1 (March 2011): 116–121. View Details
• Moneta, Giovanni B., Teresa M. Amabile, Elizabeth Schatzel, and Steve J. Kramer. "Multi-Rater Assessment of Creative Contributions to Team Projects in Organizations." European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology 19, no. 2 (2010): 150–176. View Details
• Fisher, Colin M., and Teresa M. Amabile. "Creativity, Improvisation, and Organizations." Rotman (winter 2009), 40–45. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and Mukti Khaire. "Creativity and the Role of the Leader." Harvard Business Review 86, no. 10 (October 2008). View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and Steven J. Kramer. "Inner Work Life: Understanding the Subtext of Business Performance." Harvard Business Review 85, no. 5 (May 2007). View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., Sigal G. Barsade, Jennifer S. Mueller, and Barry M. Staw. "Affect and Creativity at Work." Administrative Science Quarterly 50, no. 3 (September 2005): 367–403. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., Elizabeth A. Schatzel, Giovanni B. Moneta, and Steven J. Kramer. "Leader Behaviors and the Work Environment for Creativity: Perceived Leader Support." Leadership Quarterly 15, no. 1 (February 2004): 5–32. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa, Constance N. Hadley, and Steven J. Kramer. "Creativity Under the Gun." Special Issue on The Innovative Enterprise: Turning Ideas into Profits. Harvard Business Review 80, no. 8 (August 2002): 52–61. View Details
• Amabile, T. M., C. Patterson, Jennifer Mueller, T. Wojcik, P. Odomirok, M. Marsh, and S. Kramer. "Academic-Practitioner Collaboration in Management Research: A Case of Cross-Profession Collaboration." Academy of Management Journal 44, no. 2 (April 2001): 418–431. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. "Beyond Talent: John Irving and the Passionate Craft of Creativity." American Psychologist 56, no. 4 (April 2001): 333–336. View Details
• Kurtzberg, T. R., and T. M. Amabile. "From Guilford to Creative Synergy: Opening the Black Box of Team Level Creativity." Special Issue on Commemorating Guilford's 1950 Presidential Address Creativity Research Journal 13, nos. 3/4 (2001). View Details
• Amabile, T. M., and Regina Conti. "Changes in the Work Environment for Creativity during Downsizing." Academy of Management Journal 42, no. 6 (December 1999): 630–640. View Details
• Ruscio, A. M., and T. M. Amabile. "Effects of Instructional Style on Problem-Solving Creativity." Creativity Research Journal 12, no. 4 (1999): 251–266. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. "How to Kill Creativity." Harvard Business Review 76, no. 5 (September–October 1998): 76–87. View Details
• Hennessey, B. A., and T. M. Amabile. "Reward, Intrinsic Motivation, and Creativity." American Psychologist 53, no. 6 (June 1998): 674–675. View Details
• Ruscio, J., D. M. Whitney, and T. M. Amabile. "Looking Inside the Fishbowl of Creativity: Verbal and Behavioral Predictors of Creative Performance." Creativity Research Journal 11, no. 3 (1998): 243–263. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. "Motivating Creativity in Organizations: On Doing What You Love and Loving What You Do." California Management Review 40, no. 1 (fall 1997): 39–58. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. "Comment on: 'What's Stifling Creativity at Coolburst?' by Suzy Wetlaufer et al." Harvard Business Review 75, no. 5 (September–October 1997): 46 & 48. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. "Entrepreneurial Creativity Through Motivational Synergy." Journal of Creative Behavior 31, no. 1 (March 1997): 18–26. View Details
• Amabile, T. M., R. Conti, H. Coon, J. Lazenby, and M. Herron. "Assessing the Work Environment for Creativity." Academy of Management Journal 39, no. 5 (October 1996): 1154–1184. View Details
• Conti, R., H. Coon, and T. M. Amabile. "Evidence to Support the Componential Model of Creativity: Secondary Analyses of Three Studies." Creativity Research Journal 9, no. 4 (1996): 385–389. View Details
• Conti, R., T. M. Amabile, and S. Pollack. "The Positive Impact of Creative Activity: Effects of Creative Task Engagement and Motivational Focus on College Student's Learning." Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 21 (1995): 1107–1116. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. "Attributions of Creativity: What Are the Consequences?" Creativity Research Journal 8, no. 4 (1995): 423–426. View Details
• Amabile, T. M., and R. Conti. "What Downsizing Does to Creativity." Issues & Observations 15 (1995): 1–6. View Details
• Amabile, T. M., K. G. Hill, B. A. Hennessey, and E. M. Tighe. "The Work Preference Inventory: Assessing Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivational Orientations." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 66, no. 5 (May 1994): 950–967. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. "The Delicate Balance in Managing for Creativity." R&D Innovator 3 (1994): 1–9. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. "Recognizing Creativity: A Reply to Magyari-Beck." Creativity and Innovation Management 3 (1994): 244–245. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. "Comment on: 'Why Incentive Plans Cannot Work' by Alfie Kohn." Harvard Business Review 71, no. 6 (November–December 1993): 42–43. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. "Motivational Synergy: Toward New Conceptualizations of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation in the Workplace." Human Resource Management Review 3, no. 3 (autumn 1993): 185–201. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. "What Does a Theory of Creativity Require?" Psychological Inquiry 4 (1993): 179–181. (Commentary, 'Creativity and Personality: Suggestions for a Theory' by H. J. Eysenck.) View Details
• Amabile, T. M. "Research on Innovation: Who Needs It?" IF: Managing Continuous Innovation 1 (1992): 4–5. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. "Perspectives on Research Classics: Motivations to Study Motivation." Contemporary Social Psychology 15 (1991): 57–59. View Details
• Amabile, T. M., P. Goldfarb, and S. C. Brackfield. "Social Influences on Creativity: Evaluation, Coaction, and Surveillance." Creativity Research Journal 3 (1990): 6–21. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. "Cataloguing Creativity." Contemporary Psychology 35 (1990): 451. View Details
• Hennessey, B. A., T. M. Amabile, and M. Martinage. "Immunizing Children Against the Negative Effects of Reward." Contemporary Educational Psychology 14, no. 3 (July 1989): 212–227. View Details
• Amabile, T. M., and N. Gryskiewicz. "The Creative Environment Scales: The Work Environment Inventory." Creativity Research Journal 2 (1989): 231–254. View Details
• Amabile, T. M., and J. M. Cheek. "Microscopic and Macroscopic Creativity." Journal of Social and Biological Structures 11 (January 1988): 57–60. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. "Poetry in a Nonpoetic Society." Contemporary Psychology 33 (1988): 65–66. View Details
• Hennessey, B. A., and T. M. Amabile. "Storytelling: A Method for Assessing Children's Creativity." Journal of Creative Behavior 22, no. 4 (December 1988): 235–246. View Details
• Amabile, T. M., B. A. Hennessey, and B. S. Grossman. "Social Influences on Creativity: The Effects of Contracted-For Reward." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 50, no. 1 (January 1986): 14–23. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. "Motivation and Creativity: Effects of Motivational Orientation on Creative Writers." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 48, no. 2 (February 1985): 393–399. View Details
• Amabile, T. M., and J. Gitomer. "Children's Artistic Creativity: Effects of Choice in Task Materials." Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 10 (1984): 209–215. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. "Brilliant but Cruel: Perceptions of Negative Evaluators." Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 19 (March 1983): 146–156. (Reprinted in: E. Aronson (Ed.) (1984), Readings about the social animal (3rd. ed.). San Francisco: Freeman.) View Details
• Amabile, T. M. "The Social Psychology of Creativity: A Componential Conceptualization." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 45, no. 2 (August 1983): 357–377. View Details
• Amabile, T. M., and A. H. Glazebrook. "A Negativity Bias in Interpersonal Evaluation." Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 18 (January 1982): 1–22. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. "The Social Psychology of Creativity: A Consensual Assessment Technique." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 43, no. 5 (November 1982): 997–1013. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. "Children's Artistic Creativity: Detrimental Effects of Competition in a Field Setting." Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 8 (1982): 573–578. View Details
• Amabile, T. M., and L. Kabat. "When Self-Descriptions Contradict Behavior: Actions do Speak Louder than Words." Social Cognition 1 (1982): 311–335. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. "Effects of External Evaluation on Artistic Creativity." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 37, no. 2 (February 1979): 221–233. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. "Simple but Not Simpleminded." Contemporary Psychology 24 (1979): 519–520. View Details
• Ross, L. D., T. M. Amabile, and J. Steinmetz. "Social Roles, Social Control and Biases in Social Perception Processes." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 35, no. 7 (July 1977): 485–494. View Details
• Amabile, T. M., W. DeJong, and M. R. Lepper. "Effects of Externally-Imposed Deadlines on Subsequent Intrinsic Motivation." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 34, no. 1 (July 1976): 92–98. View Details

Book Chapters

• Hennessey, B. A., J. S. Mueller, and T. M. Amabile. "Consensual Assessment." In Encyclopedia of Creativity. 3rd ed. Edited by Mark A. Runco and Steven R. Pritzker, 199–205. Academic Press, 2020. View Details
• Cromwell, Johnathan R., Teresa M. Amabile, and Jean-François Harvey. "An Integrated Model of Dynamic Problem Solving within Organizational Constraints." In Individual Creativity in the Workplace, edited by Roni Reiter-Palmon, Victoria Kennel, and James C. Kaufman. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 2018. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Creativity and the Labor of Love." In The Nature of Human Creativity, edited by Robert J. Sternberg and James C. Kaufman, 1–15. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2018. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "The Art of (Creative) Thought: Graham Wallas on the Creative Process." Chap. 2 in The Creativity Reader, edited by Vlad P. Glăveanu. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2019. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "The Motivation for Creativity." In Scientists Making a Difference: One Hundred Eminent Behavioral and Brain Scientists Talk about Their Most Important Contributions, edited by Robert J. Sternberg, Susan T. Fiske, and Donald J. Foss, 275–279. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2016. View Details
• Rigolizzo, Michele, and Teresa M. Amabile. "Entrepreneurial Creativity: The Role of Learning Processes and Work Environment Supports." Chap. 4 in The Oxford Handbook of Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship, edited by Christina E. Shalley, Michael A. Hitt, and Jing Zhou, 61–78. Oxford University Press, 2015. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., Regina Conti, and Heather Coon. "Clawing Back a Promising Paper." Chap. 27 in Ethical Challenges in the Behavioral and Brain Sciences: Case Studies and Commentaries, edited by Robert J. Sternberg and Susan T. Fiske, 83–84. Cambridge University Press, 2015. View Details
• Hennessey, Beth A., S. Moran, B.A. Altringer, and Teresa M. Amabile. "Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation." Contribution to Wiley Encyclopedia of Management, Volume 11: Organizational Behavior. 3rd ed. Edited by P.C. Flood and Y. Freeney. John Wiley & Sons, 2014. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Big C, Little C, Howard, and Me: Approaches to Understanding Creativity." In Mind, Work, and Life: A Festschrift on the Occasion of Howard Gardner’s 70th Birthday, Volume 1, edited by Howard E. Gardner, Mindy L. Kornhaber, and Ellen Winner, 5–25. Cambridge, MA: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa, Steven Kramer, and Ela Ben-Ur. "Keeping a Diary to Catalyze Creativity." In Maximize Your Potential: Grow Your Expertise, Take Bold Risks, and Build an Incredible Career. Vol. 2, edited by Jocelyn K. Glei, 115–123. 99U Book Series. Amazon Publishing, 2013. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa, and Steven Kramer. "Use a 10-Minute Diary to Stay on Track." Chap. 20 in HBR Guide to Getting the Right Work Done, 125–131. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press, 2012. View Details
• Conti, R., and T. Amabile. "Motivation." In Encyclopedia of Creativity. 2nd ed. Edited by Mark A. Runco and Steven R. Pritzker. Academic Press, 2011. View Details
• Hennessey, B. A., T. Amabile, and J. M. Mueller. "Consensual Assessment." In Encyclopedia of Creativity. 2nd ed. Edited by Mark A. Runco and Steven R. Pritzker. Academic Press, 2011. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa, and Colin M. Fisher. "Stimulate Creativity by Fueling Passion." In Handbook of Principles of Organizational Behavior: Indispensable Knowledge for Evidence-Based Management. 2nd ed. Edited by Edwin A. Locke. John Wiley & Sons, 2009. View Details
• Fisher, Colin M., and Teresa M. Amabile. "Creativity, Improvisation, and Organizations." In The Routledge Companion to Creativity, edited by Tudor Rickards, Mark A. Runco, and Susan Moger. Oxford, U.K.: Routledge, 2009. View Details
• Amabile, T. M., and Jennifer Mueller. "Assessing Creativity and Its Antecedents: An Exploration of the Componential Theory of Creativity." In Handbook of Organizational Creativity, edited by Jing Zhou and Christina E. Shalley. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2008. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. "Stimulate Creativity by Fueling Passion." In Basic Principles of Organizational Behavior: A Handbook, edited by E. A. Locke. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 2000. View Details
• Hennessey, B. A., and T. M. Amabile. "Consensual Assessment." In Encyclopedia of Creativity. Vol. 2, edited by M. A. Runco and S. R. Pritzker. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 1999. View Details
• Conti, R., and T. M. Amabile. "Motivation/Drive." In Encyclopedia of Creativity. Vol. 2, edited by M. A. Runco and S. R. Pritzker. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 1999. View Details
• Stevenson, H. H., and T. M. Amabile. "Entrepreneurial Management: In Pursuit of Opportunity." In The Intellectual Venture Capitalist: John H. McArthur and the Work of the Harvard Business School, 1980-1995, edited by T. K. McCraw and J. L. Cruikshank. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1999. View Details
• Conti, R., and T. M. Amabile. "The Impact of Downsizing on Organizational Creativity and Innovation." In Social Creativity. Vol. 2, edited by A. Montuori and R. E. Purser. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press, 1999. View Details
• Collins, M. A., and T. M. Amabile. "Motivation and Creativity." In Handbook of Creativity, edited by R. J. Sternberg. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999. View Details
• Amabile, T. M., and R. Conti. "Environmental Determinants of Work Motivation, Creativity, and Innovation: The Case of R&D Downsizing." In Technological Innovation: Oversights and Foresights, edited by Raghu Garud, Praveen Rattan Nayyar, and Zur Baruch Shapira. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1997. View Details
• Amabile, T. M., R. Conti, and M. A. Collins. "Frank Barron's Influence on Current and Future Generations of Creativity Researchers: Some Personal Reflections." In Unusual Associates: A Festschrift for Frank Barron, edited by Alfonso Montuori. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press, 1996. View Details
• Amabile, T. M., and M. A. Collins. "Creativity." In Blackwell Encyclopedic Dictionary of Organizational Behavior, edited by N. Nicholson. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 1996. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. "Discovering the Unknowable, Managing the Unmanageable." In Creative Action in Organizations: Ivory Tower Visions and Real World Voices, edited by Cameron M. Ford and Dennis A. Gioia. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, 1995. View Details
• Amabile, T. M., E. Phillips, and M. A. Collins. "Person and Environment in Talent Development: The Case of Creativity." In Talent Development: Proceedings of the 1993 Henry B. and Jocelyn Wallace National Research Symposium on Talent Development, edited by Nicholas Colangelo, Susan G. Assouline, and DeAnn L. Ambroson. Unionville, NY: Trillium Press, 1994. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. "The Atmosphere of Pure Work: Creativity in R&D." In The Social Psychology of Science, edited by S. Fuller and W. R. Shadish. New York: Guilford Press, 1994. View Details
• Amabile, T. M., and E. Tighe. "Questions of Creativity." In Creativity. Vol. 4, edited by J. Brockman. Reality Club Series. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993. View Details
• Hill, K. G., and T. M. Amabile. "A Social Psychological Perspective on Creativity: Intrinsic Motivation and Creativity in the Classroom and Workplace." In Understanding and Recognizing Creativity: The Emergence of a Discipline, edited by S. G. Isaksen, M.C. Murdock, R. L. Firestien, and D. J. Treffinger. Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing, 1993. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. "Social Environments that Kill Creativity." In Readings in Innovation, edited by Stanley S. Gryskiewicz and David A. Hills. Greensboro, NC: Center for Creative Leadership, 1992. View Details
• Amabile, T. M., and S. J. Sensabaugh. "High Creativity versus Low Creativity: What Makes the Difference?" In Readings in Innovation, edited by Stanley S. Gryskiewicz and David A. Hills. Greensboro, NC: Center for Creative Leadership, 1992. View Details
• Amabile, T. M., and B. A. Hennessey. "The Motivation for Creativity in Children." In Achievement and Motivation: A Social-Developmental Perspective, edited by A. K. Boggiano and T. Pittman. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. "Within You, Without You: The Social Psychology of Creativity, and Beyond." In Theories of Creativity, edited by Mark A. Runco and Robert S. Albert. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, 1990. View Details
• Amabile, T. M., and S. J. Sensabaugh. "Public and Private Creativity." In Key Issues in Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship, edited by B. G. Whiting and G. T. Solomon. Buffalo, NY: Bearly Ltd., 1989. View Details
• Burnside, R. M., T. M. Amabile, and S. S. Gryskiewicz. "Assessing Organizational Climates for Creativity and Innovation: Methodological Review of Large Company Audits." Foreword to New Directions in Creative and Innovative Management, edited by Y. Ijiri and R. L. Kuhn. Cambridge, MA: Ballinger Publishing Company, 1988. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. "From Individual Creativity to Organizational Innovation." In Innovation: A Cross-disciplinary Perspective, edited by K. Gronhaug and G. Kaufmann. Oslo, Norway: Norwegian University Press, 1988. View Details
• Hennessey, B. A., and T. M. Amabile. "The Conditions of Creativity." In The Nature of Creativity, edited by R. J. Sternberg. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1988. View Details
• Amabile, T. M., and S. S. Gryskiewicz. "Creative Human Resources in the R&D Laboratory: How Environment and Personality Impact Innovation." In Handbook for Creative and Innovative Managers, edited by R. L. Kuhn. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1988. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. "A Model of Creativity and Innovation in Organizations." In Research in Organizational Behavior. Vol. 22, edited by B. Staw and R. Sutton. Elsevier Science, 2000. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. "The Motivation to Be Creative." In Frontiers of Creativity Research: Beyond the Basics, edited by S. Isaksen. Buffalo, NY: Bearly Ltd., 1987. View Details
• Amabile, T. M. "Fostering Creativity." In Psychology: Being Human. 4th ed. Edited by Z. Rubin and E. B. McNeil. New York: Harper & Row, 1985. View Details
• Jennings, D., T. M. Amabile, and L. D. Ross. "Informal Covariation Assessment: Data-based vs. Theory-based Judgements." In Judgment Under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases, edited by D. Kahneman, P. Slovic, and A. Tversky. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1982. View Details
• Kidd, R. F., and T. M. Amabile. "Explanation and Social Interaction: Some Dialogues on Dialogue." In New Directions in Attribution Research. Vol. 3, edited by J. Harvey, W. Ickes, and R. F. Kidd. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1981. View Details
• DeJong, W., and T. M. Amabile. "Social Psychology." In The Teaching of Psychology, edited by J. Radford and D. Rose. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, 1980. View Details
• Amabile, T. M., and W. DeJong. "Research Methods and Data Analysis: The Challenge of Knowing How to Do What About Why." In Psychology and Life. 10th ed. Edited by P. G. Zimbardo. Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1979. View Details
• Ross, L. D., and T. M. Amabile. "Attribution Theory." In International Encyclopedia of Psychiatry, Psychology, Psychoanalysis, and Neurology. Vol. 10, edited by B. Wolman, 300–302. Prentice Hall, 1977. View Details
• Amabile, T. M., and A. H. Hastorf. "Person Perception." In Social Psychology: An Introduction, edited by B. Seidenberg and A. Snadowsky. New York: Free Press, 1976. View Details

Working Papers

• Fisher, Colin M., Julianna Pillemer, and Teresa M. Amabile. "Deep Help in Complex Project Work: Guiding and Path-Clearing Across Difficult Terrain." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 18-035, October 2017. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "In Pursuit of Everyday Creativity." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 18-002, July 2017. (Revised September 2017.) View Details
• Wageman, Ruth, and Teresa M. Amabile. "J. Richard Hackman (1940-2013)." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 14-009, July 2013. View Details
• Fisher, Colin M., Julianna Pillemer, and Teresa M. Amabile. "Helping You Help Me: The Role of Diagnostic (In)congruence in the Helping Process within Organizations." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 14-003, July 2013. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Componential Theory of Creativity." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 12-096, April 2012. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Big C, Little C, Howard, and Me: Approaches to Understanding Creativity." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 12-085, September 2013. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., Elizabeth A. Schatzel, Giovanni B. Moneta, and Steven J. Kramer. "Leader Behaviors and the Work Environment for Creativity: Perceived Leader Support." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 03-211, July 2003. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., Jennifer S. Mueller, and Susan M. Archambault. "Coding Manual for the DENA Coding Scheme (Detailed Event Narrative Analysis)." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 03-079, March 2003. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., Jennifer S. Mueller, and Susan M. Archambault. "DENA Coding Scheme (Detailed Event Narrative Analysis)." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 03-080, March 2003. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., Sigal G. Barsade, Jennifer S. Mueller, and Barry M. Staw. "Affect and Creativity at Work: A Daily Longitudinal Test." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 03-071, January 2003. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., Jennifer S. Mueller, William B. Simpson, Constance N. Hadley, Steven J. Kramer, and Lee Fleming. "Time Pressure and Creativity in Organizations: A Longitudinal Field Study." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 02-073, April 2002. View Details
• Mueller, Jennifer S., T. M. Amabile, William S. Simpson, Lee Fleming, and Constance N. Hadley. "The Influence of Time Pressure on Creative Thinking in Organizations." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 01-023, November 2000. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., Chelley Patterson, Jennifer Mueller, Tom Wojcik, Paul Odomirok, Mel Marsh, and Steven Kramer. "Academic-Practitioner Collaboration in Management Research: A Model and a Case Study." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 99-119, April 1999. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., Dean Whitney, Jeremiah Weinstock, Lynn Miller, and Chelley Fallang. "What Really Happens in Creative Projects: Event Sampling Through Electronic Data Collection." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 98-036, November 1997. View Details
• Ruscio, John, Dean Whitney, and Teresa M. Amabile. "How Do Motivation and Task Behaviors Affect Creativity? An Investigation in Three Domains." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 97-022, September 1996. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Entrepreneurial Creativity Through Motivational Synergy." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 97-023, September 1996. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., Regina Conti, Heather Coon, Jeffrey Lazenby, and Michael Herron. "Assessing the Work Environment for Creativity." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 96-004, July 1995. View Details

Cases and Teaching Materials

• Amabile, Teresa M., and Katrina Flanagan. "Making Progress at IDEO." Harvard Business School Case 814-123, June 2014. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and Yana Litovsky. "Creativity under the Gun at Litmus Corporation." Harvard Business School Case 808-075, November 2007. (Revised May 2008.) View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and Elizabeth Schatzel. "Lumen and Absorb Teams at Crutchfield Chemical Engineering, The." Harvard Business School Case 804-118, January 2004. (Revised July 2007.) View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and Elizabeth Schatzel. "Satera Team at Imatron Systems, Inc. The, (B)." Harvard Business School Case 803-142, January 2003. (Revised June 2007.) View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and Victoria Winston. "Nest Fresh Eggs (A)." Harvard Business School Case 806-056, December 2005. (Revised October 2006.) View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Nest Fresh Eggs (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 807-060, September 2006. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and Victoria Winston. "Lean Forward Media." Harvard Business School Case 805-063, January 2005. (Revised August 2006.) View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and Elizabeth Schatzel. "Satera Team at Imatron Systems, Inc. (A), The." Harvard Business School Case 803-141, January 2003. (Revised October 2003.) View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and Amy Blitz. "Alison Brown of Compass Records." Harvard Business School Case 801-089, August 2000. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and Christina L. Darwall. "AllHerb.com: Evolution of an E-tailer." Harvard Business School Case 801-099, July 2000. (Revised August 2000.) View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and Rasheea Williams. "Beansprout Networks." Harvard Business School Case 801-079, August 2000. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and Susan Archambault. "E Ink." Harvard Business School Case 800-143, August 1999. (Revised May 2000.) View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and Nicole Tempest. "Ken Hakuta: AllHerb.com." Harvard Business School Case 899-250, March 1999. (Revised February 2000.) View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and Sarah S. Khetani. "Trisha Wilson of Wilson & Associates." Harvard Business School Case 800-001, September 1999. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and Jeremiah Weinstock. "Arnold Communications." Harvard Business School Case 899-083, September 1998. (Revised May 1999.) View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and Dean Whitney. "Corporate New Ventures at Procter & Gamble." Harvard Business School Case 897-088, January 1997. (Revised June 1997.) View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and Dean Whitney. "Business Teams at Rubbermaid, Inc." Harvard Business School Case 897-165, March 1997. (Revised March 1997.) View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., George P. Baker III, and Michael Beer. "Cambridge Technology Partners (A)." Harvard Business School Case 496-005, July 1995. (Revised April 1996.) View Details
• Baker, George P., III, Teresa M. Amabile, and Michael Beer. "Cambridge Technology Partners (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 496-006, July 1995. (Revised April 1996.) View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and Dean Whitney. "Seaman Corporation." Harvard Business School Case 396-268, February 1996. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Managing for Creativity." Harvard Business School Background Note 396-271, February 1996. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "The Motivation for Creativity in Organizations." Harvard Business School Background Note 396-240, January 1996. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Creativity and Innovation in Organizations." Harvard Business School Background Note 396-239, January 1996. View Details

Presentations

• Amabile, Teresa M. "Reflections on the Nuances of Creative Leadership across Contexts." In Understanding the Nuances of Creative Leadership across Contexts (PDW Workshop). Paper presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Boston, MA, August 10, 2019. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Identity Bridging across the Retirement Transition." In Navigating Retirement Life: Retirement Attitudes, Transitions, and Experiences. Paper presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Showcase Symposium, Chicago, IL, August 2018. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Researching Retirement." In Conducting Research in Familiar Settings. Paper presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Joint Symposium, Atlanta, GA, August 2017. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Creativity and the Value of Confident Humility." Creativity and the Value of Confident Humility, Wharton School, Philadelphia, PA, March 2017. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Labor of Love: A Brief History of a Creativity Research Program." Paper presented at the Creativity Collaboratorium, Boston, MA, October 2016. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., Colin M. Fisher, and Julianna Pillemer. "Deep Help: The Benefits and Perils of Intensive Collaborative Assistance in Creative Project Work." Paper presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Anaheim, CA, August 2016. View Details
• Fisher, Colin M., Teresa M. Amabile, and Julianna Pillemer. "Giving and Seeking Help in Creative Teams: A Field Study at a Design Firm." Paper presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Montreal, Canada, August 01, 2010. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Tracking Creativity in the Wild." Paper presented at the Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention, Boston, MA, May 29, 2010. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Emergent Creativity in Organizations." Paper presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, August 15, 2009. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Creativity and the Psychology of Everyday Work Life." Paper presented at the American Psychological Association Symposium on Eminent Women in Psychology, Boston, MA, August 17, 2008. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Little C Creativity." Paper presented at the Eastern Psychological Association Meeting, March 1, 2008. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and Steve J. Kramer. "Self-discovery through Journaling in Organizations." Paper presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, August 08, 2004. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and Steve J. Kramer. "The Best (and Worst) Days in Creative Project Teams: Some Preliminary Results." In Society for Experimental Social Psychology, Boston. Paper presented at the Society for Experimental Social Psychology Annual Conference, Society for Experimental Psychology, Boston, October 01, 2003. View Details
• Akinola, Modupe N., Wendy Berry Mendes, and Teresa M. Amabile. "Benign Stress and Cognitive Performance in Organizations." Paper presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA, August 11–16, 2003. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Positive Psychology in the Workplace: The Best (and Worst) Days at Work." Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Toronto, August 01, 2003. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., J. S. Mueller, W. B. Simpson, L. Fleming, and C. N. Hadley. "The Influence of Time Pressure on Creative Thinking in Organizations." Paper presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA, August 01–06, 2003. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., S. G. Barsade, J. S. Mueller, and B. M. Staw. "Affect and Creativity at Work: A Daily Longitudinal Test." Paper presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA, August 01–06, 2003. View Details
• Moneta, Giovanni, Teresa M. Amabile, Elizabeth Schatzel, and Steven J. Kramer. "Perceived Individual Creativity in Organizational Teamwork as a Function of Personality and Gender." Paper presented at the American Psychological Society Annual Convention, New Orleans, June 06–09, 2002. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Exploring New Models for Management Research: A Case of Academic Practioner Collaboration." Paper presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, August 01, 1999. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Events That Influence Creativity." Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Boston, MA, August 01, 1999. View Details
• Amabile, T. M., J. Weinstock, and S. Archambault. "The Relationship between Work Environment and Creativity." Paper presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, San Diego, August 01, 1998. View Details
• Hennessey, B. A., and Teresa M. Amabile. "Rewards and Creativity." Paper presented at the Society for Experimental Social Psychology Annual Conference, Society for Experimental Psychology, Toronto, Ontario, October 01, 1997. View Details
• Amabile, T. M., D. Whitney, J. Weinstock, L. Miller, and C. Fallang. "What Really Happens in Creative Projects: Event Sampling through Electronic Data Collection." Paper presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Boston, August 01, 1997. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Work Environment Differences between High and Low Creative Projects." Paper presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Vancouver, British Columbia, August 01, 1995. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "The Work Preference Inventory: Assessing Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivational Orientations." Paper presented at the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology Annual Conference, Orlando, FL, May 1, 1995. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Remarks on the Development, Validation, and Application of a Model of Innovation." Paper presented at the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology Annual Conference, Orlando, FL, May 1, 1995. View Details
• Conti, R., and Teresa M. Amabile. "Problem Solving Among Computer Science Students: : The Effects of Skill, Evaluation Expectation, and Personality on Solution Quality." Boston, MA, April 1, 1995. View Details
• Ruscio, J., Teresa M. Amabile, and D. Whitney. "Exploratory Analysis of the Creative Process in Problem Solving." , Boston, MA, April 01, 1995. View Details
• Coon, H., D. Whitney, and Teresa M. Amabile. "The Effects of Evaluation and Technical Skill on Creativity." Paper presented at the American Psychological Society Annual Convention, New York, NY, April 01, 1995. View Details
• Whitney, D., J. Ruscio, Teresa M. Amabile, and M. Castle. "Effects of Planning on Problem-Solving Creativity." , Boston, MA, April 01, 1995. View Details
• Conti, R., Teresa M. Amabile, H. Coon, M. A. Collins, J. Lazenby, and M. Herron. "Work Environments Differ Between Projects High and Low in Creativity." Paper presented at the American Psychological Society Annual Convention, Washington, DC, July 01, 1994. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and R. Conti. "Environmental Determinants of Work Motivation, Creativity, and Innovation: The Case of R&D Downsizing." Paper presented at the Conference on Technological Oversights and Foresights, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, March 01, 1994. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Creativity: What Is It? Where Does It Come From?" Paper presented at the Symposium on Perspectives on Creativity in Marketing Theory and Practice, American Marketing Association, St. Petersburg, FL, February 1, 1994. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., E. Phillips, and M. A. Collins. "Social and Personal Influences on Professional Artist' Creativity." Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Toronto, Ontario, August 01, 1993. View Details
• Conti, R., H. Coon, and Teresa M. Amabile. "Effects of Expected Evaluation on Task Persistance and Artistic Creativity." Paper presented at the Eastern Psychological Association Meeting, Arlington, VA, April 1, 1993. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and E. Phillips. "Assessing the Creativity of Professional Art." Paper presented at the Eastern Psychological Association Meeting, Arlington, VA, April 1, 1993. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., R. Conti, H. Coon, M. A. Collins, J. Lazenby, and M. Herron. "Work Environment Differences between High Creativity and Low Creativity Projects." Paper presented at the International Creativity and Innovation Networking Conference, Greensboro, NC, September 01, 1992. View Details
• Collins, M. A., and Teresa M. Amabile. "Intrinsic Motivation and Artistic Creativity: The Effects of Naturally-Occurring Interest, Affect, and Involvement." Paper presented at the Eastern Psychological Association Meeting, Boston, MA, April 1, 1992. View Details
• Conti, R., Teresa M. Amabile, and S. Pollack. "Motivation, Creativity, and Learning." Paper presented at the Eastern Psychological Association Meeting, Boston, MA, April 1, 1992. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Mechanisms of Creativity." Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Boston, MA, August 01, 1990. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "The 'Atmosphere of Pure Work': Creativity in R&D." Paper presented at the Conference on the Social Psychology of Science, Memphis, TN, May 01, 1990. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and N. Gryskiewicz. "Assessing the Environment for Creativity: The Work Environment Inventory." Paper presented at the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology Annual Conference, Boston, MA, April 1, 1989. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Within You, Without You: The Social Psychology of Creativity, and Beyond." Paper presented at the International Creativity Conference, Pitzer College, Claremont, CA, November 01, 1988. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and Beth A. Hennessey. "Immunizing Children Against the Negative Effects of Reward." Paper presented at the Society of Research in Child Development Biennial Meeting, Baltimore, MD, April 1, 1987. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Maintaining Children's Motivation and Creativity." Paper presented at the Symposium on Frontiers of Creativity Research, Buffalo, NY, June 01, 1986. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Social Influences on Creativity: Interactive Effects of Reward and Choice." Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Los Angeles, August 01, 1985. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "The Creativity Maze." Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Los Angeles, August 01, 1985. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Creativity in Research and Development." Paper presented at the Conference on Corporate Growth and Diversification through Technology Management (Address), University of Michigan, Institute of Science and Technology, Industrial Development Division, November 01, 1984. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "The Motivation for Creativity." Paper presented at the Symposium on Frontiers of Creativity Research, Buffalo, NY, June 01, 1984. View Details
• Hennessey, Beth A., and Teresa M. Amabile. "The Effect of Reward and Task Label on Children's Verbal Creativity." Paper presented at the Eastern Psychological Association Meeting, Baltimore, MD, April 1, 1984. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Social Environments that Kill Creativity." Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, NC, September 1, 1983. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Effects of Motivational Orientation on Creative Writing." Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Anaheim, CA, August 01, 1983. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Negativity in Journal of Personality and Social Psychology Reviews." Paper presented at the Eastern Psychological Association Meeting, Baltimore, MD, April 1, 1982. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Creativity: Some Stories and a Model." Paper presented at the New England Social Psychological Association Meeting, October 1, 1981. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and L. Kabat. "When Self-Descriptions Contradict Behavior: Do Actions Speak Louder than Words?" Paper presented at the Eastern Psychological Association Meeting, Hartford, CT, April 1, 1980. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and D. Schlesinger. "Perceptions of Negative Evaluators: Unlikeable but Smart." Paper presented at the Eastern Psychological Association Meeting, New York, April 1, 1980. View Details
• Stubbs, M. L., and Teresa M. Amabile. "Exploring the Relationship Between Fantasy and Creativity." Paper presented at the Conference on the Fantasy and Imaging Process, New York, November 01, 1979. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Insecurity Begets Negativity: A Bias in Interpersonal Evaluation." Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, New York, September 01, 1979. View Details
• Berglas, S., Teresa M. Amabile, and M. Handel. "An Examination of the Effects of Verbal Reinforcement on Creativity." Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, New York, September 01, 1979. View Details
• DeJong, W., Teresa M. Amabile, and M. L. Stubbs. "Rape and Physical Attractiveness: Judgements Concerning the Likelihood of Victimization." Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, New York, September 01, 1979. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "What is that Social Psychologist Doing in this Classroom?" Paper presented at the Brandeis Conference on Research in Education, September 01, 1979. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., and M. W. Watson. "A Researcher Visits the Teacher's Lounge." Paper presented at the Brandeis Conference on Research in Education, September 01, 1979. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Stifling Creativity." Paper presented at the New England Social Psychological Association Annual Meeting, Boston, October 1, 1978. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M. "Effects of Evaluation Expectation on Artistic Creativity." Paper presented at the Eastern Psychological Association Meeting, April 1, 1978. View Details
• Amabile, Teresa M., L. Ross, and J. Steinmetz. "It's Wiser to Question than to Answer: The Impact of Assigned Roles in Perceptions of Knowledge." Paper presented at the Western Psychological Association Annual Convention, Los Angeles, April 01, 1976. View Details
• DeJong, W., Teresa M. Amabile, and M. R. Lepper. "Deadlines: Their Effect on Subsequent Intrinsic Motivation." Paper presented at the Western Psychological Association Annual Convention, Los Angeles, April 01, 1976. View Details

Other Publications and Materials

• Amabile, T. M. "The Personality of Creativity." Brandeis Review 5 (1985): 5–8. View Details
• Amabile, T. M., R. Burnside, and S. S. Gryskiewicz. "User's Guide for KEYS: Assessing the Climate for Creativity." Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, NC, January 1995. View Details
• Amabile, T. M., and S. S. Gryskiewicz. "Creativity in the R&D Laboratory." Report, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, NC, May 1987. View Details

Research Summary

The Transition to Retirement

My current major research program is the Retirement Transitions Study: a broad study of retiring professionals' everyday experiences, including identification with work; identity stability, change, and development; meaningfulness of work; changes in life structure, key relationships, and involvement in creative activity; and the role that these experiences (as well as other factors) play in attitudes toward and experiences during retirement. The purpose is to discover how people think and feel about their work experiences across the lifespan, how they make the decision to retire, what forms the transition process takes, how people and their lives change during the process, and what influences successful adjustment to retirement. Our data collection uses multiple methods, including surveys, daily diaries, and extensive semi-structured interviews. We have collected data from current and retired employees in three companies, in four broad groups: (a) employees in the first 5-10 years of their careers; (b) employees in the last 5-10 years of their careers; (c) employees with a planned retirement date in the coming 12 months (interviewed several times as they approached and moved through the retirement transition, and settled into retirement life); and (d) retirees of those companies, who retired in the previous few years. Our research team endeavors to contribute new insights that will be valuable to scholars, organizational leaders, and individual employees as they move through and past their careers. The research team includes Lotte Bailyn (MIT Sloan), Kathy Kram and Tim Hall (BU Questrom School of Management), Marcy Crary (Bentley University), Jeff Steiner (Harvard Business School doctoral candidate), and Debra Rowcroft  (Harvard Business School research associate). To date, we have produced two papers based on this work: a Guidepost Commentary on the importance of qualitative research on retirement, published in the journal Work, Aging, and Retirement (2019), and a paper on our methodology (Amabile & Hall), (2019) in Academy of Management Perspectives.

Keywords: Careers; Psychology; Creativity; Identity; Retirement; Meaning

Helping at Work

This research focuses on collaboration and helping in creative project teams. Colin Fisher (UCL), Julianna Pillemer (NYU Stern School), and I developed a multi-year research program examining help received and given, including successful and unsuccessful helping episodes, inside a creative design firm. One paper from this research program appeared in the Academy of Management Journal (2018). A second paper is currently under development. In 2014, we published a Harvard Business Review article on this topic. A second Harvard Business Review article appeared in 2021.

Keywords: Collaboration; Helping; Creativity; Creative Industries

Creativity and Innovation

Starting in 2016, I undertook several new projects on creativity and innovation. The first, a revision of my 1988 componential theory of creativity and innovation, was coauthored with Michael Pratt (Boston College) and published in Research in Organizational Behavior (online, 2016; print, 2017). The second, a brief reflection on three forms of creativity evident in everyday life, appeared in 2017 in the Journal of Creative Behavior. The third, a novel theory of how two creative processes can appear under different sets of conditions, coauthored with former HBS doctoral student Johnathan Cromwell (currently on the faculty of the University of San Francisco), was published in 2018 as a chapter in Individual Creativity in the Workplace. The fourth, an essay on the importance of intrinsic motivation and the social environment for creativity, appeared in 2018 as a chapter in The Nature of Human Creativity. The fifth, an essay on the significance of the classic Graham Wallas book (1926) The Art of Thought for contemporary theory and research on the creative process, was published in a 2019 edited book on contributions of the pre-1950 creativity literature (The Creativity Reader). The sixth, on the applicability of my research to real-world problems, appeared in Perspectives on Psychological Science (2019). The seventh, on creativity and artificial intelligence, was published in 2020 in Academy of Management Discoveries.

Keywords: Creativity; Innovation

Awards & Honors

Received an Honorary Doctorate from Handelshøyskolen BI (the BI Norwegian School of Management) in Oslo in 2019.

Winner of the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Organizational Behavior Division of the Academy of Management for her pioneering work on creativity in organizations.

Winner of the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Israel Organizational Behavior Conference in Tel Aviv.

Recipient of the 2017 Distinguished Scholar Award from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, a division of the American Psychological Association.

“How Leaders Kill Meaning at Work” (with Steven J. Kramer) was ranked by readers as the second most popular article of 2012 in the McKinsey Quarterly.

Ranked on the 2011 and 2013 Thinkers50 list—the definitive listing of the world’s top 50 business thinkers.

Received the Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa, from Canisius College in 1997.

Named one of the top 50 scholars, by total citation count, in business/management, by the journal PLOS Biology (2020).

Additional Information

• Curriculum Vitae
• Articles in Working Knowledge
• Blog
• Twitter
• LinkedIn Profile

Areas of Interest

• corporate entrepreneurship
• creativity
• motivation
• organizational behavior
• work environment
Additional Topics
• careers
• corporate culture
• emotions
• entrepreneurial management
• entrepreneurship
• group dynamics
• human resource management
• innovation
• invention
• leadership
• relationships
• social interactions
• teams

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  Mastering the ‘miserable middle’ of change

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Teresa M. Amabile In the News

15 Mar 2022
Washington Post
Seven Ways Parents Can Help Kids Persist at Tasks They Resist

05 May 2021
Wired
Forget To-Do Lists. You Really Need a 'Got Done' List

29 Mar 2021
Harvard Business Review
A Career Detour Doesn’t Have to Compromise Your Long-Term Goals

17 Aug 2020
New York Times
The Power of Low-Stakes Productivity

25 Apr 2020
Globe and Mail
Mastering the ‘miserable middle’ of change

14 Apr 2020
Bloomberg
The Coronavirus Puzzle Boom Is Not Puzzling at All

20 Feb 2020
Squared Away
Mapping Out a Fulfilling Retirement

21 Dec 2019
Fast Company
Three Myths About Creativity That Are Probably Holding You Back

28 Nov 2019
Psychology Today
In Praise of the Idle Mind

30 Sep 2019
Globe and Mail
Retirement planning must go beyond finances

12 Sep 2019
Business Insider
Happy Retirees Build New Lives

20 Aug 2019
BBC
Why we lie about being retired

30 Jul 2019
Quartz
If you’ve got a big career goal, you need to start keeping a work diary

15 Mar 2019
Financial Times
How the modern office is killing our creativity

27 Feb 2019
Freakonomics
A Good Idea Is Not Good Enough

20 Feb 2019
Freakonomics
Where Do Good Ideas Come From?

16 Jan 2019
Harvard Business Review
How Retirement Changes Your Identity

04 Dec 2018
New York Times
How to Accept a Compliment — Even if It’s From Yourself

20 Nov 2018
Wall Street Journal
Seven Strategies for Maintaining a Sense of Self in Retirement

17 Oct 2018
Freakonomics
How to be Creative

17 Sep 2018
HBS Working Knowledge
Welcome to Retirement. Who Am I Now?

06 Jun 2018
Harvard Business Review
How to Make Sure Good Ideas Don’t Get Lost in the Shuffle

07 Dec 2017
Cold Call
Does Time Pressure Help or Hinder Creativity at Work?

08 Mar 2017
Inc.
How I Motivated Myself During My Darkest Times

03 Nov 2016
Science of Success
Seven Catalysts To Creating Progress and Becoming A More Effective Leader with Dr. Teresa Amabile

20 May 2016
Fast Company
Why You're Probably Asking For Less Pay Than You're Worth

17 May 2016
Fortune
Here’s What Happens When You Let Your Team Have Fun

10 Apr 2016
New York Times
Ad Agency Enlists Comedians to Get the Creative Juices Flowing

01 Mar 2016
Fast Company
The Three Secret Elements Of Staying Motivated At Work Every Day

12 Jan 2016
Fast Company
Why What Happens Every Day Means More Than Scoring a Big Success

05 Oct 2015
Fast Company
8 Habits of People Who Always Have Great Ideas

10 Jun 2015
WGBH: Innovation Hub
The Surprising Ways Companies Can Foster Creativity

26 May 2015
HBS Working Knowledge
Corporate Field Researchers Share Tricks of the Trade

24 Apr 2015
Boston Globe
How creativity can help reduce stress

16 Apr 2015
Economist
Improving employee productivity: On your toes

13 Apr 2015
Boston Globe
‘Mad Men’ at work: Who is more creative, Megan or Stan?

06 Apr 2015
Guardian
Spire's Peter Platzer: the boss who never fires anyone

19 Feb 2015
Financial Times
Review: ‘How to Perform Under Pressure’

19 Feb 2015
Bloomberg News
Work From a Stranger’s House

18 Feb 2015
Inc.
Inside the Psychology of Productivity

21 Jan 2015
Canada Broadcasting Corporation
Re-designing the workplace

17 Jan 2015
Forbes
The Crisis in Worker Engagement & The 2 Things You Should Do About It

02 Oct 2014
HubSpot
Dealing With Employee Disengagement: Competition vs. Collaboration

15 Aug 2014
Inc.
Why Happiness at Work Matters

14 Aug 2014
Fast Company
Why It's Time To Manage Progress and Not People

31 Jul 2014
Economist
Decluttering the company

15 Jun 2014
BBC
Are we about to see the rise of robot bosses?

15 May 2014
Fast Company
The Case For And Against Stressful Deadlines

29 Apr 2014
Huffington Post
4 Components Required to Sustain Innovation

01 Jan 2014
Harvard Business School
IDEO’s Culture of Helping

25 Oct 2013
Huffington Post
The Benefits of a Productive Cocoon

17 Sep 2013
Fast Company
The Simple Way to Leave Your Stress at Work

04 Sep 2013
Minnesota Public Radio
Why businesses should let employees work less, think more

27 Aug 2013
Harvard Gazette
Slowing the work treadmill

16 Aug 2013
Economist
Schumpeter: In praise of laziness

24 Jul 2013
HBR Blogs
Working from Home: A Work in Progress

20 Jun 2013
Minnesota Public Radio
To conversation about disengaged workers, listeners say, 'Yep'

30 Apr 2013
NPR: Morning Edition
When It Comes To Productivity, Technology Can Hurt And Help

10 Apr 2013
U.S. News & World Report
How to Deal With Your Dead-End Job

28 Mar 2013
Huffington Post
Advancing the World's Leading Women

16 Mar 2013
New York Times
Looking for a Lesson in Google’s Perks

28 Jan 2013
Inc.
3 Mistakes That Can Thwart a Great Idea

22 Jan 2013
Forbes
From Inside Out, Speed Your Company's Social Transformation

07 Jan 2013
Articles by Professors Teresa Amabile and Cynthia Montgomery named top ten by McKinsey Quarterly

17 Dec 2012
Daily Beast
Oliver Burkeman on Failed New Year's Resolutions

11 Dec 2012
Wall Street Journal
It's Not Your Typical Job

17 Oct 2012
Boston Public Radio
Small Ways to Ignite Creativity and Joy at Work

16 Oct 2012
Minnesota Public Radio
Who Controls Workplace Happiness?

07 Sep 2012
American Public Media: Marketplace
Who's responsible for your happiness at work?

31 Aug 2012
HBR Blogs
What Makes Work Worth Doing?

28 Aug 2012
Globe and Mail
Video: Why an engaged work force drives the bottom line

10 Aug 2012
Los Angeles Times
Call it Zucker Burg: Facebook campus gets its own Main Street

01 Aug 2012
MSNBC
Nothing gets done in August (and that's OK)

26 Jul 2012
Bloomberg TV
What Inspires Creativity in the Workplace?

26 Jul 2012
Bloomberg TV: Rewind
Bloomberg TV: Creativity in the Workplace

13 Jul 2012
MSNBC
Sandusky scandal shows danger of larger-than-life boss

12 Jul 2012
Washington Post
Your mean boss could be insecure

02 Jul 2012
American Public Media: Marketplace
Respecting employees can boost bottom line

16 Jun 2012
CNN
Trying to be creative in a 'Dilbert' world

29 May 2012
CNN
Can't stand your job? Feel better about it

07 May 2012
HBR Blogs
Checking In with Employees (Versus Checking Up)

03 May 2012
American Public Media: Marketplace
Does high stress trigger creativity at work?

02 May 2012
Forbes
How to Make Your Team More Creative

01 May 2012
Forbes
The #1 Productivity Tool You Aren't Using

01 May 2012
99U
Track Your Small Wins to Motivate Big Accomplishments

25 Apr 2012
HBR Blogs
What Doesn't Motivate Creativity Can Kill It

24 Mar 2012
New York Times
Praise Is Fleeting, But Brickbats We Recall

19 Mar 2012
Big Think
It Pays to Be Happy: The Progress Principle at Work

16 Mar 2012
American Public Media: Marketplace
The price of happiness in the workplace

06 Mar 2012
Washington Post
How to completely, utterly destroy an employee’s work life

06 Mar 2012
Washington Post
How to completely, utterly destroy an employee's work life

31 Jan 2012
American Public Media: Marketplace
Are 'The Best Places to Work' really the best?

26 Jan 2012
HBR Blogs
The Human Cost of Kodak's Bankruptcy

11 Jan 2012
McKinsey Quarterly
How leaders kill meaning at work

08 Jan 2012
Forbes
Progress Principle: You're More Important Than You Think

27 Dec 2011
HBR Blogs
Start the New Year with Progress

06 Dec 2011
Wall Street Journal
How to Save an Unproductive Day in 25 Minutes

16 Nov 2011
HBR Blogs
What Your Boss Needs to Know About Engagement

19 Sep 2011
WBUR: Radio Boston
Are Workers Today Unhappy, Or Just Unmotivated?

19 Sep 2011
Fortune
Redefining the middle manager's job

15 Sep 2011
HBR Blogs
Three Ways to Turn Setbacks into Progress

09 Sep 2011
Entrepreneur
How to Build a Stellar Team at a High-Potential Startup

07 Sep 2011
HBS Working Knowledge
How Small Wins Unleash Creativity

04 Sep 2011
New York Times
Do Happier People Work Harder?

29 Aug 2011
Forbes
The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins as Big Gains

23 Aug 2011
HBR Blogs
How to Stay Engaged (and Employed?) in a Downturn

23 Aug 2011
Inc.
Book Review: The Progress Principle

15 Aug 2011
HBR Blogs
The Power of Small Wins in Times of Panic

09 Aug 2011
HBR Blogs
The Power of Progress

08 Aug 2011
Forbes
The Power of Negative Events in Your Startup

18 Jul 2011
HBR Blogs
Horrible Bosses?

04 Jul 2011
HBR Blogs
Declaring Independence in the Workplace

30 Jun 2011
Economist
Too much information

13 Jun 2011
HBR Blogs
Winning, Losing, and Collaboration

23 May 2011
HBR Blogs
Managing the Double-Edged Sword of Collaboration

13 May 2011
HBR Blogs
Small Wins and Feeling Good

08 May 2011
Boston Globe
Bribing the kids

27 Apr 2011
HBR Blogs
Four Reasons to Keep a Work Diary

25 Mar 2011
HBR Blogs
Necessity, not Scarcity, is the Mother of Invention

07 Mar 2011
Sydney Morning Herald
Unleash your inner genius

29 Nov 2010
HBR Blogs
On Creative Accounting: Two Creativity Myths

17 Nov 2010
HBR Blogs
The Three Threats to Creativity

05 Jan 2010
Financial Times
Ideas to test the status quo