Thrive Global: 3 ways to use criticism to boost your creativity

Originally found at Thrive Global, by Elizabeth Yuko, Ph.D.

Regardless of our profession, most of us are looking for ways we can improve our work. Whether that has to do with being more efficient, thorough, or broader in our thinking, feedback can be very useful in helping you pinpoint which areas you should focus on, and what you need to do to improve. But if we’re being totally honest, occasionally being on the receiving end of feedback — primarily when it’s negative, or poorly delivered — can be a challenge.

There is an unexpected upside to criticism, though, according to a new study in the Academy of Management Journal: It can promote creativity. The co-author of the paper, Yeun Joon Kim, a Ph.D. student at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, used to work as a software engineer for Samsung—a position where he received a lot of feedback that inspired this research. Specifically, he wondered if receiving criticism at work improved his job performance.

Continue reading original article at Thrive Global.

Learn more about the AOM Scholars and explore their work:

• Yeun Joon Kim, University of Toronto
• Junha Kim, The Ohio State University