Research Design Connection: Accommodations and Creativity

by Sally Augustin, Ph.D. | October 19th, 2020

Man, Zhu and Sun investigated how workplace accommodations influence employee creativity. As the researchers report, “In the workplace, not only employees with disabilities ask for workplace accommodation to better perform in the job but also the older workers, pregnant women, and employees with religious needs and with family responsibilities need workplace accommodations.” Workplace accommodations were defined by Man, Zhu and Sun as they were by Colella and Bruyere (2011, p. 478): “’modifications in the job, work environment, work process, or conditions of work that reduce physical and social barriers so that people with disabilities experience equal opportunity in a competitive work environment.’” Man’s team determined that “workplace accommodation promotes employee creative performance…the positive relationship…[is] stronger for employees with a lower level of disability severity…workplace accommodation is not only essential for including employees with disabilities but also helpful in boosting the creative performance of all employees.” Xiangyu Man, Xiji Zhu, and …