The value of creativity: A scoping review

Abstract

Growing rhetoric from industry-based white papers and global reports states that creativity is a vital skill for the future of work. However, despite centuries of study and debate, there remains a lack of consensus on the exact nature of the value of creativity. This scoping review followed the PRISMA-ScR guidelines with the objective of reviewing and describing the literature since 1980 to find a consensus description of the value of creativity. This review identifies a three-factor typology comprising extrinsic, instrumental, and intrinsic-inherent value as value construct propositions. The synthesis of the reviewed literature (N = 86), including a high Cohen's Kappa for interrater agreement on the articles (κ = 0.993), found that the value of creativity is predominantly instrumental and functions as a tool for achieving both extrinsic and intrinsic-inherent outcomes. This review sharpens the understanding of creativity, primarily in the subject matter area of business and workforce, by creating a value-informed basis that may be valuable for practitioners, scholars, and policymakers responsible for bolstering the rationale for a renewed focus on creativity as a vital 21st Century skill. Future research and limitations are discussed.