Venue: Room 302, School of Management, Zijingang Campus
Speaker:
Roy Chua is an Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resources at the Singapore Management University Lee Kong Chian School of Business. Prior to joining SMU, Roy was on the faculty of Harvard Business School for six years. Roy's research areas and areas of expertise: organizational behavior & human resources , leadership , trust, cultural values, cross-cultural management and Asian business , organizational creativity and innovation.
Abstract:
Economic inequality is on the rise worldwide and dominant explanations for this trend highlight that the rich tend to become richer because of enhanced access to valued resources. This research proposes and tests a behavioral cum cognitive pathway causing those growing up in poorer environment to underperform in creativity. Drawing on prior research that investigates the effects of parental socio-economic status on behavior and cognition, we argue that despite exposure to equal educational opportunities, differences in parental income when growing up has important implications for individuals’ creativity. Results from two field surveys found that those with lower parental income when growing up interact less frequently with dissimilar others, which in turn undermines their creativity.