Multiple Intelligences, Chronic Relative Underperformance Risk and the
Perception of the Organizational Creative Environment: Exploratory
Correlational Study at Single Employer in the Netherlands
Abstract
Creativity is important within knowledge-intensive organisations. In
this article, we research the relations between profiles of multiple
intelligence and how employees assess their organisation as supporting
creativeness. Multiple intelligences theory is important because it
takes a more humanistic approach to skills, abilities and talents, in
recognising that there is more to a human than the skills appreciated in
classical g-theory. We are interested in whether different types of
people look differently upon the organisation in this regard. Special
attention is given to employees whose multiple intelligence profile is
higher than required for their job, a misfit inducing risk for chronic
relative underperformance, and how this misfit relates to the assessment
of the work environment.
Data collection was done in a large institute for mental health care in
the Netherlands. On a voluntary basis, employees were assessed on their
personal multiple intelligences profile using the MIDAS® questionnaire.
They simultaneously assessed their organisation on supporting
creativity, using the KEYS® to Creativity and Innovation questionnaire.
The data were analysed in three ways (1) by correlating the values of
their multiple intelligence with the assessment on creative climate; for
this 189 records could be used, (2) by computing the risk of chronic
relative underperformance, and correlating this with creativity climate;
for which 147 records of mental health workers remained for the
analysis; and (3) investigating whether there was a difference in scores
when the results were grouped by highest or lowest intelligence.
Results show that there is mild support for our expectation that
multiple intelligences matter and that employees with profiles that are
high on intelligences not required for the job assess the work
environment as less beneficial for creative output. It is concluded that
organisations (which consist of a spectrum of differently profiled
humans) may benefit from taking into account these differences within
their workforce. Limitations to the study design are also discussed.