Thesis advisor: Michael G. PrattThe psychology of ownership literature suggests that creation is one of the most powerful processes through which people may come to feel a sense of possession over ideas. Yet, because the task of making a new product is often too large for one individual, ideas are often transferred between, as well as discussed and shaped by, many different people across a range of departments during creative work. Thus, in organizations, shifts in responsibility over ideas are inevitable and the ability for ideas to be shaped by multiple people and successfully move from person to person is critical for organizations. However, we know relatively little about how people, particularly creative workers, respond to changes in responsibility over their ideas. To understand this phenomenon, I conducted an inductive, qualitative study of two teams at a video game design studio, using interviews, weekly diaries, and observations as my data sources. Through grounded theory analysis, I developed theory around how creative workers experience psychological ownership and how this experience is impacted when ideas are handed off between creative workers. Specifically, I describe task characteristics and individuals differences that impact ownership scope (exclusive or shared ownership) and strength. I also delimit outcomes associated with adopting a particular ownership scope for individual creative workers and the collective product. Then, I describe the key psychological conditions that impact how handoffs occur by describing 4 handoff scenarios and the ownership outcomes for both creative workers involved in each scenario. Together these scenarios demonstrate how ownership can be formed, maintained, and changed through social interactions via handoffs. I build on these findings to develop a relational model of ownership which highlights how psychological ownership impacts and is impacted by social interactions and interpersonal relationships. Practically, this research provides insights on how creative workers can experience and manage ownership over ideas in ways that facilitates engagement in creative work, as well as an organization's ability to benefit from the results of creative workers' labor.Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2013.Submitted to: Boston College. Carroll School of Management.Discipline: Management and Organization
