Don't Count on AI: The Three Things That Enable Employees to Solve Problems Creatively

New research reveals that a learning orientation and determination are not enough for creative problem-solving; employees also need psychological availability. The study, conducted among 260 employees, shows that task overload neutralizes creative ability.

A new study published in 2025 in the journal Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, conducted among 260 employees, reveals that a learning orientation and determination are necessary but not sufficient conditions for creative problem-solving. The researchers, Prof. Abraham Carmeli and Dr. Ravit Cohen Meitar from the Faculty of Management at Tel Aviv University, found that the link between learning orientation and creative problem-solving strengthens when employees report high psychological availability. In contrast, when employees are overloaded with tasks and constantly distracted, the ability to solve problems creatively nearly vanishes. The study emphasizes that organizations investing in innovation must ensure employees have available cognitive and emotional resources, not just encourage idea generation. The article uses the analogy of the Apollo 13 mission to illustrate the difference between idea generation and creative problem-solving.