The role of affect in creative projects and exploratory search

Abstract

The theory of creativity and exploratory search developed by Simon, March, and their followers in the Carnegie school relies on a coolly cognitive account of motivation. We argue that a more robust theory would give affect greater prominence. Our approach is inspired by Dewey’s (2002 Human Nature and Conduct. Prometheus: Amherst, MA) analysis of the three components of human conduct—habit, intelligence, and impulse, where impulse is Dewey’s term for affect. The Carnegie approach incorporates the first two, but has little to say about the third. We review literature on affect in psychology, psychodynamics, and neurobiology, showing how it allows us to characterize more effectively the motivational underpinnings of individual creativity and collective creative projects. This in turn enables us to sketch the key role of affect in exploratory search as compared to other domains of organizational activity. Creativity is an important determinant of firm performance, and exploratory search (as distinct from exploitation) is thus a critical activity for many organizations. One of the more influential approaches to creativity and exploratory search is that developed by Herbert Simon and James March, and it has grown into a recognizable Carnegie school. This essay identifies some weaknesses in the Carnegie account, and goes back to the work of John Dewey to build a stronger foundation for a more complete understanding of these phenomena.