Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is viewed as being able to enhance workforce creativity and give companies a competitive edge. But new research found that unlocking those benefits has more to do with the capabilities of the worker than the technology.
The ability to use technology for innovative purposes was more pronounced in workers with independent thinking and self-management skills, according to a study led by researchers at Tulane University.
Employees with distinctive “metacognitive strategies” were more likely to generate deeper insights and solutions than other employees using large language models (LLMs) at work, according to the study. Researchers examined the creative outputs of 250 employees, evaluated by supervisors and outsider reviewers, with some assigned to work with ChatGPT and some to work without it.
Those distinctive skills include the ability to actively analyse tasks and thought processes, plan, self-monitor, and revise strategies. Additionally, workers with those skills are more likely to use emerging technologies to acquire cognitive job resources that facilitate information finding, task-analysis, and problem-solving.
“Our findings show that LLMs enhance employees’ creativity by providing cognitive job resources, especially for employees who possess high levels of metacognitive strategies,” the study said. “This suggests that to fully benefit from LLM use, employees must actively adopt metacognitive strategies … rather than being passive consumers of LLMs.”
Metacognitive strategies are often viewed as individual differences, but they can be taught. For organisations to reap the creative benefits of emerging technologies, investing in training is important for workforces to develop those skills during LLM implementation, the study noted.
However, the role of motivational factors such as learning and development goals and promotion-focused drives could also play a role in the proactive use of those technologies, the study said. Future research is needed, the report said, to assess whether long-term use or reliance on LLMs could impair autonomy, learning, networking, and independent thinking — reducing workforce creativity over time.
A study from Zhejiang University’s School of Management found that while the initial novelty of generative AI often enhances employee performance, it can gradually reduce engagement in some workers, particularly when doing tasks without the assistance of those tools.
Other recent findings explored the potential cognitive risks associated with overreliance on emerging technologies in day-to-day work.
Microsoft research found that while generative AI can improve efficiency, dependence on it could inhibit critical engagement and diminish independent problem-solving skills. The researchers concluded that companies could benefit from designing tools to “support knowledge workers’ critical thinking by addressing awareness, motivation, and ability barriers”.
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