Perceptual and Motor Skills, 2004,99,223-224. 0 Perceptual and Motor Skills 2004 THE LEVEL-STYLE OF CREATIVITY DISTINCTION: COMMENTS O N A RECENT COMPARISON O F TWO MEASURES OF CREATIVITY STYLE ' SCOTT G. ISAKSEN Creativity Research Unit The Creative Problem Solving Group Summay.-A recent article published in this journal made a contribution to our understanding of the relationships between two measures of creativity style. The au- thors interpreted their results and made a few statements that made a subtle, yet sub- stantial link between the styles measured by the assessments and creative abilities. The purpose of this commentary is to point out a more general concern relating to keep- ing these constructs distinct and then using clear measures to help increase our under- standing and appreciation of diverse styles of creativity and how they contribute to im- proving creative abilities. Even those researchers who attempt to clarify the differences can slip into using language that conflates style with level. Making a distinction between creativity level and style holds great prom- ise for those concerned with understanding and enhancing creative human behavior and organizational innovation (Isaksen & Dorval, 1993; Talbot, 1997; Isaksen, 2004). Level includes a focus on ability, magnitude, or com- petence. Style focuses on preference, mode, or predilection. This conceptual distinction separates a focus on level or capacity (how creative are you?) from a focus on style or preferred modality (how are you creative?). Kirton (1994) made the sharpest conceptual distinction between level and style in his suggested analogy that level refers to the power of the engine, and style refers to how a car is driven. A major benefit of this distinction is a clarification of a more inclusive concept of level of creativity (e.g., Ripple, 1989). This is a major conceptual advancement for the field of creativity because much of the research con- flates level with style (i.e., artists and those with "recognized flair" are crea- tive, engineers who work quietly and steadily are not). Conflating level with style results in many confounded research findings and a dangerous bias in practical application. Another benefit of this distinction is an improved understanding of how factors of both level and style can affect behavior. Since there are many factors that influence creative behavior, separating orthogonal variables al- lows the development of improved definition and understanding, which en- ables improved measurement and research. Assuming psychometric sound- 'Address enquiries to Dr. Scott G. Isaksen, Senior Fellow, Creativity Research Unit, The Crea- tive Problem Solving Group, Inc., 1325 N. Forest Road, Suite 340, Williamsville, NY 14221- 2143 or e-mail (sgiaway@cpsb.com).