Abstract

A major challenge confronting managers in the 21^st century is how to effectively use the potential capabilities of their employees. To achieve this goal, employees must be encouraged to use their intellectual capabilities to enhance their knowledge and creativity. One aspect that reinforces individual creativity is perfectionism, which is a stable pattern of thinking and behavior that changes relatively little over time. Although there is not yet a model of perfectionism in the workplace, the results will help improve human resource management practices. The aim of this paper is to study the relationship between perfectionism and creativity among the employees of Shahid Sadoghi University of Yazd. The measuring tools were two questionnaires, one concerned with positive perfectionism and the other with creativity. Pearson correlations and linear regression were used to test the hypothesis. The results showed that there is a meaningful correlation between positive perfectionism and creativity. In addition, there are meaningful correlations between positive perfectionism and the need for achievement, locus of control, encounters with ambiguous conditions, and creativity-related skills. Considering the results, it was determined that the characteristics of perfectionism impact people’s perception, interpretation, and feelings of responsibility about their progress. It is recommended that managers empower positive perfectionism in order to generate new ideas, achieve reachable goals, and move toward organizational progress.

Key words: Positive perfectionism, creativity, needs for achievement, locus of control, ambiguity conditions.