The Interactive Influences of Three Ecological Systems on R & D Employees' Technological Creativity

Abstract

This study proposes the Ecological Systems Model of Creativity Development, which emphasizes the dynamic relationships among 4 ecological systems, each individually representing personal characteristics, the family and school experiences, organizational environment, and the social milieu. The findings here confirm the patterns of influence of the first 3 ecological systems-namely the microsystem, the mesosystem, and the exosystem-along with that of creative ability on information technology R & D staff across software and hardware companies. The findings fully support the proposed model and strongly suggest that the 3 ecological systems tested dynamically and interactively influence R & D employees' degree of technological creativity, although the patterns of influence vary somewhat across types of companies.