Effect of non-work related internet usage on stimulating employee creativity in the Sri Lankan software industry

Abstract

While provision of Internet has become an integral part of work, usage of the organizational Internet resources for non-work purposes has become quite prevalent. There is a wide debate on the dysfunctional as well as the constructive use of non-work related Internet usage at the workplace. Hence, the need was recognized to investigate the effect of non-work related Internet usage on employee creativity stimulation at a time where creative thinking skills are most sought after by employers in the software industry. The main objective of this research was to determine the effect of non-work related Internet usage on stimulating employee creativity in the Sri Lankan software industry. Drawing from past literature this research proposes six dimensions for measuring creativity stimulation, which include: accessibility to information, intrinsic motivation to execute ideas, curiosity and exploration, independent thinking, collaboration and breaking down technical barriers. The target population that was considered for the study included all knowledge workers employed in the Sri Lankan software industry which was around 8375. The final survey was conducted through distribution of a research questionnaire among a stratified random sample of 192 respondents. The findings of the research were partially consistent with the initial predictions which stated a positive effect of non-work related Internet usage on creativity stimulation. A positive effect of non-work related Internet usage was substantiated for creativity stimulation as a whole and for the dimensions: curiosity and exploration, collaboration and breaking down technical barriers. In addition, the research results also provided an exploratory view on the nature of employees‟ non-work related Internet usage. In conclusion, this research suggests the potential of non-work related Internet usage in stimulating employee creativity. The findings of the present research contribute to the advancement of the non-work related computing literature and also provide practical insights to software development organizations.