AN ANALYSIS OF BARRIERS EMPLOYEES FACE WHEN THEY ENGAGE CREATIVELY

In today's world, there are many articles and books that provide information on how companies can motivate their employees to get more involved in the company. Others show how workers' creativity can be enhanced, but always from a managerial or boardroom perspective. In contrast to these articles, this dissertation does not focus on what a business can do to encourage the creativity of its employees. This paper serves the purpose of giving employees a voice and showing their perception of barriers once they act proactively. The literature identifies many barriers that make it difficult for employees to act creatively. Barriers described in the literature focus strongly on the co-workers' refusal to change, resource restrictions, and strong hierarchical levels. The right leadership in the process of implementing ideas plays an essential role and gives employees the feeling of being supported. To investigate the topic in more detail 20 interviews were carried out. The interviews were semi-structured and a high diversity among participants was ensured. Answers were then coded according to 11 subcategories. Findings of the analysis mostly agree with literature, but some differences were identified. Respondents most frequently mentioned the following barriers in the interviews: Lack of support & communication, interpersonal challenges like resistance to change, time scarcity, unsupportive culture, and inefficient or chaotic structures. Nevertheless, employees were motivated to implement their ideas at the start. Most started an initiative because they were intrinsically motivated by the value of their idea. A few others wanted to improve working conditions for co-workers, or simply contribute something to the company’s success. Only a few were driven by extrinsic factors. This motivation was maintained for some participants despite challenges. Especially employees surrounded by supportive leaders maintained a positive attitude. However, most of the interviewees were frustrated after encountering barriers. They even declared to never engage creatively at their current company again.