Integrating theories addressing attention and activation with creativity literature, we found an inverted U-shaped relationship between creative process engagement and overall job performance among professionals in complex jobs in an information technology firm. Work experience moderated the curvilinear relationship, with low-experience employees generally exhibiting higher levels of overall job performance at low to moderate levels of creative process engagement and high-experience employees demonstrating higher overall performance at moderate to high levels of creative process engagement. Creative performance partially mediated the relationship between creative process engagement and job performance. These relationships were tested within a moderated mediation framework.

Because creativity is increasingly recognized as an important underpinning of innovation, interest in factors influencing creativity in organizations continues to burgeon (Hirst, Van Knippenberg, & Zhou, 2009). As one manifestation, the business press has been carrying an accelerating number of articles calling for greater creativity to fuel organizational growth and sustain competitiveness (Amabile & Khaire, 2008; Cohn, Katzenbach, & Vlak, 2008; George, 2007; Hargadon & Sutton, 2000). Scholars, too, have focused more research effort on the question of how to foster increased idea production, leading to significant advances in our understanding of factors that influence creative outcomes in organizations (Shalley & Zhou, 2008; Zhou & Shalley, 2008). Though progress has been admirable, a critical area that has not received much research focus is the connection between engaging in the creative process itself and ultimate job performance (Gilson, 2008). Yet only through such a connection can efforts toward creativity actually aid the competitive advantage of organizations.

To date, much of the research on creativity has focused on creative performance, which refers to creative outcomes—that is, the novel and useful ideas concerning products, services, methods, or procedures that are ultimately produced (Zhou...