Abstract

As the economy has become increasingly global, organizations whose employees are more creative and innovative compete at a higher level than those who do not. And, organizations that incorporate multi-generations into their workforce will realize more creativity and innovation within their organizations. Now, and in the future, leaders will encounter a new generation of employees that will challenge their leadership ability. The challenges addressed in this study gravitate to these areas: Creativity and innovative abilities that will compete in the global economy; the Millennial Generation and their unrealized creative skills due to the influence of the No Child Left Behind Act, which could cause difficulties in the new Conceptual Age; and workplace and leadership challenges that are associated with the consequences of the generation's perceptions. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine creativity and leadership as self-perceived aspects in the college-level Millennial Generation. 2 survey instruments were utilized in this study that generated 106 responses from across the United States and internationally: the Scale of Creativity Attributes and Behavior (SCAB) and the Student Leadership Practices Inventory (SLPI). Results determined the majority of respondents perceived themselves as creative. Overall, creative aspects that rated highest were tolerance and appreciation of new ideas, but skills associated with impulsive and risk-taking behaviors garnered the lowest scores. In traits that impact creativity, females showed more tolerance of others and remained flexible in their thinking while relishing new ideas, and those with a higher level of education also enjoyed working on creative projects and finding solutions to creative problems. For overall leadership self-perceptions, teamwork was highlighted while inspiring others ranked the lowest. Even without significant correlation between creativity and leadership skills, areas of significance were tolerance of others and the level of education/age showing more ability to inspire others and model desired behaviors. Conclusions suggest an enhancement in creativity skills, with an emphasis on risk-taking, would enhance the educational experience. Additionally, encouraging partnerships with the business community to cultivate real-world projects where problem-solving and critical thinking abilities were included would upgrade the skill level in employees for the new global economy.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Dissertations (EdD) -- Organizational leadership; Generation Y; Creative ability

Date of Award

2011

School Affiliation

Graduate School of Education and Psychology

Department/Program

Education

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctorate

Faculty Advisor

Allen, Mark;

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