Summer Vacation Leads to Productivity Through Renewed Creativity
By Ray Brogan
In the future, when humans are involved in space travel where seasons are irrelevant, will we still have summer vacations? According to the writers of the Star Trek series, we will still have the debate over whether taking vacation time contributes to productivity on the job. In an episode called “Shore Leave” in the original series, Captain Kirk explains to the alien Mr. Spock how humans need to “recreate” through recreation. Centuries in the future, according to the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Captain’s Holiday,” Captain Picard has to be forced to take a vacation, rather than going to training, by the wise Counselor Troi. Research suggests that vacation leads to greater work productivity, as Kirk found, but this finding seems counter-intuitive to many workers and managers (including Picard).
Summer is the traditional time for vacations because, with children out of school, the family can spend more time together. Sometimes parents are hesitant about taking time off from work because they feel needed at work. Where workers want to be productive, time away can actually contribute to a renewal of resources on the job and to a reduction of stress. Still, in a time of economic troubles, a worker may have a legitimate concern that taking a vacation may make him or her seem less dedicated and, therefore, more eligible for a layoff. The argument against this perspective is found in recent research on how vacation reduces job stress, how workers find job satisfaction through productivity, and how creativity can be the link between vacation and productivity.
Recent research conducted by Grawitch and Barber suggests that time off from work, such as taking a vacation, can increase productivity.1 No matter how much job satisfaction a worker has, he or she will still experience job stress which can be relieved through vacation time. Upon return, the worker has more psychosocial resources to deal with the challenges of the job. Many previous studies have already established that vacations lead to reduced job stress. What Grawitch and Barber discovered is that the resources needed to counter job stress are self-renewing.2 This means that a worker does not need to take work on vacation or constantly check in. The act of “vacating” through vacation implies that leaving it all behind will help the worker rediscover the resources he or she brought to the job in the beginning, resources that may have been blunted by stress and anxiety on the job. These resources include confidence, responsibility, and creativity.
A widely accepted view of job satisfaction in which these resources are crucial is the idea of “flow,” as suggested by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.3 Flow exists in a job when the worker recognizes that the challenges of the job well match his or her work skills. Without flow, the work challenges may be greater than the work skills and the worker will feel overwhelmed. If the work challenges are less than the work skills, the worker feels bored and unneeded. In a state of flow, a worker feels free to invest personal skills, insights, and creativity. The observation of flow among workers suggests that workers want to be productive. However, even when flow is present in a job, the daily grind can wear a worker down. Stephen Covey uses an analogy to suggest that a lumberjack could cut more trees by taking breaks to sharpen the ax.4 By taking a vacation, the worker can “sharpen the ax” and renew resources including creativity.
Creativity is an important component of flow and an important tool for any job. Creativity increases problem solving and innovative production. It is less likely that creativity will arise in the stress of the workday than in a circumstance where one can see the “big picture” such as time away from work. A vacation provides the opportunity to allow creativity to be renewed.
Grawitch and Barber found that using vacation time to develop new skills or improve existing ones interferes with reducing job stress.5 However, they did not look at developing creativity. Research on the nature of creativity suggests that one can actively develop it and that improved creativity contributes to a better outlook on life and work.
The research of Jerome Singer presents creativity as an important component of problem solving.6 Humans exercise creativity through daydreams and other mental exercise in which we replay and rearrange recent events to better understand implications and resolution. This mental exercise is no different from what the playwright or artist does in presenting the world in a more pleasant or meaningful way. A key component to developing creativity is the separation from immediate problems and concerns. This would suggest that a vacation can be a good place to develop the creative thinking necessary for better work performance and productivity.
Suggestions for increasing creativity during summer vacation would include reading a classic novel or two, perhaps on a beach or in the park. Similar to what researchers Rubin and Livesy found with children, identifying with the heroes of novels can help adults recognize not only the widespread nature of their situation but also internal strengths that previously may have gone unrecognized.7
Another suggestion would be to spend time with loved ones. A study by Hogan and Weiss established that socialization contributes to creativity and high achievement.8 This suggests that through socialization, high achievers can see a different perspective to problem solving and innovation. Creativity relies on new perspectives.
In conclusion, with summer being an ideal time for vacation, workers should be encouraged to take some time off from work. Spending time away from the stress of the job, being exposed to creative outlets, and sharing with loved ones all have a way of enhancing the worker’s creativity and psychosocial resources necessary for productivity and adaptability on the job. Whatever your vacation goal, you can get there from here. You do not need the Starship Enterprise.
References:
1. M. J. Grawitch and L. K. Barber, “Work Flexibility or Nonwork Support? Theoretical and Empirical Distinctions for Work-Life Initiatives,” Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research 62 (2010): 169–188.
2. Ibid.
3. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (New York: Harper and Row, 1990).
4. Stephen R. Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1989).
5. Grawitch.
6. J. L. Singer, “Researching Imaginative Play and Adult Consciousness: Implications for Daily and Literary Creativity,” Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts 3 (2009): 190–199.
7. L. Rubin and H. Livesay, “Look, Up in the Sky! Using Superheroes in Play Therapy,” International Journal of Play Therapy 15 (2006): 117–133.
8. R. Hogan and D.S. Weiss, “Personality Correlates of Superior Academic Achievement,” Journal of Counseling Psychology 21 (1974): 144–149.
Dr. Ray Brogan
Dr. Ray Brogan is an adjunct professor for Kaplan University’s Department of Psychology.
Dr. Brogan continues a research career that has involved projects in program evaluation and statistical analysis for government agencies and educational organizations. Many of these projects involved the development of new methodology or the effective modification of existing methods. He enjoys the challenge of expressing complicated results in terms that are easy to understand. In addition to research projects, Dr. Brogan has written many articles for Cengage Learning publications, particularly for their digital encyclopedias.
Dr. Brogan earned a doctorate in educational psychology from the University at Albany (State University of New York). His dissertation focused on how classroom teachers interpret test results and presented suggestions for teachers to better integrate results from classroom tests with those from standardized tests.
Dr. Brogan’s interests include good books and classic movies. His hobbies are fishing and amateur acting.
|
