Multilevel Theorizing About Impact of AI Mindfulness on Creativity in Organization: A Sensemaking Perspective
Abstract
Artificial intelligence (AI) has garnered increasing attention from researchers exploring its impact on creativity. However, much of the research has focused on AI functions that overlook human agency which is essential for harnessing AI agency for creativity in organization setting. In this study, we adopt a sensemaking perspective, emphasizing human agency in making sense of AI to inspire creativity at both individual and team levels. Within organizational contexts, we introduced the concept of AI mindfulness and developed a multilevel model to examine its impact in organizational context. Specifically, we investigated how AI mindfulness enhances individual creativity through inspiration and team creativity through team inspiration density. Additionally, we examined technological entitlement as a boundary condition to determine when AI mindfulness impacts individual and team creativity through their respective mechanisms. We collected data from 551 employees nested within 112 R&D teams at a high-tech company in China. This organization operates an R&D center that develops and implements in-house AI solutions for creative tasks. Our findings reveal that AI mindfulness positively influences team creativity through team inspiration density, particularly when technological entitlement is lower rather than higher. Overall, we provided an integrative account of when and how AI mindfulness leads to individual and team creativity.