Publication Type

PhD Dissertation

Version

publishedVersion

Publication Date

6-2023

Abstract

The rise of work-from-home (WFH) arrangements has brought significant changes to how employees work and interact with each other. This dissertation aims to examines the potential impact of WFH arrangements on employee creativity and investigates whether this impact varies across high-context and low-context cultures, with a particular focus on how demographic characteristics such as gender, age, and education may affect this relationship. The study is conducted within a top 10 global automotive supplier with associates in China (high-context culture) and Germany (low-context culture). As individual creativity often arises from collaboration and interaction with others, I hypothesised that as WFH frequency increases, employees may be less likely to exchange ideas and perspectives effectively with others, impeding the formation of new creative insights. Furthermore, with the cultural differences in communication style, WFH arrangements could potentially diminish creativity more in high-context cultures than in low-context cultures due to the higher value placed on face-to-face interaction and non-verbal cues for communication and collaboration. The research aims to provide practical contributions to organisations seeking a comprehensive understanding of the impact of WFH arrangements on employee creativity across different cultures and demographics. The study's findings will also aid organisations in developing appropriate solutions to overcome the challenges that may arise in a WFH environment and facilitate effective collaboration and knowledge exchange among employees.

Keywords

Creativity, Culture

Degree Awarded

Doctor of Business Admin

Discipline

Organizational Behavior and Theory | Organization Development

Supervisor(s)

CHUA, Yong Joo

Publisher

Singapore Management University

City or Country

Singapore

Copyright Owner and License

Author

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