Determinants of creative thinking of IT employees in the context of empirical research

Abstract

The aim of the presented research was to check what determines the creative thinking of IT employees. The concept is defined with reference to Urban's concept of creativity, the personality conditions are described using Costa and McCrae's five-factor model of personality, while the overview of the environmental conditions is based on Kolb's organisational climate approach. 224 programmers (110 women and 114 men) participated in the study and were asked to complete the following research tools with validated psychometric properties: Urban and Jellen's Test for Creative Thinking - Drawing Performance, Costa and McCrae's NEO-FFI Personality Inventory, and Kolb's Organisational Climate Questionnaire. The data obtained confirms the association of the programmers' creative thinking with openness to experience, conscientiousness and organisational climate, including demands and leadership. Gender modifies the relationships considered. The knowledge gained can help develop training programmes addressed to people who wish to develop their creative potential; it can also create an innovation-friendly organisational culture.