Assessing the Role of Individual Variables in Determining the Research and Development Engineers’ Creativity - A Study in Electrical and Electronics Industry

Cheng Ling Tan, Ya Li Hong

Graduate School of Business Universiti Sains Malaysia Penang, Malaysia.

DOI: 10.4236/ce.2012.37B002                

Abstract

This study examined the direct effect of individual variables (self-esteem, creative self-efficacy, intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation) on the Research and Development (R&D) engineers’ creativity. The data were analysed based on questionnaires returned by 130 R&D engineers attached to fifteen Electrical and Electronic (E&E) firms with R&D department in Penang, Malaysia. The convenience sampling method was employed in getting the samples. The results posited that all individual variables were positively related to R&D engineers’ creativity. The results also reported that there is no significant difference in R&D engineers’ creativity between contract employment type and permanent employment type. The theoretical and practical implications of the study as well as suggestion for future studies were also discussed.

Keywords

Creativity; R&D Engineer; Individual Variables; E&E Industry; Type of Employment

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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