In a 2017 study published in Academy of Management Journal, researchers asked employees to rate their willingness to embrace contradictions. They were then asked to rate how often they experienced resource constraints: limited time, limited funds, limited resources, limited supplies, etc. 

Meanwhile, their bosses rated each employee in terms of overall performance, creativity, and innovation.

What happened? Employees who ranked on the low end of what researchers called “the paradox mindset” scale (meaning they disliked contradictions, much less embracing them) struggled with constraints: Their performance dropped whenever they felt resources were insufficient.

On the flip side, employees who found it challenging and even fun to overcome constraints were the better performers, especially when creativity and problem-solving were required.

And here’s the kicker: The presence of constraints often caused the performance of those employees to improve.