Can Standard Operating Procedures be Motivating? Reconciling Process Variability Issues and Behavioural Outcomes

It is generally agreed that requiring employees to perform their tasks according to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) can improve production outcomes in the context of repetitive manufacturing. Attempts to link SOP use to intrinsic motivation – a requirement for creativity – have, however, resulted in controversy. In this paper, we discuss the relationship between required SOP use and worker creativity, as mediated by worker intrinsic motivation, and suggest that the relationship between required SOP use and intrinsic motivation and creativity is moderated by (a) availability of accurate process documentation and (b) employee participation in developing of process documentation.