Benefit or cost? The “double-edged sword” effect of multiple team membership on creativity

Abstract

In the digital era, many organizations adopt multiple team membership (MTM) as a job model. However, this remains a relatively new management topic. Therefore, further theoretical studies are urgently needed. First, after theoretical analysis, our study proposes that there may be a “double-edged” mediation effect and a mediated moderation model between MTM and creativity. Second, our study confirms the above hypotheses by adopting data-matched empirical research in the two waves. These results of the data analysis show that MTM brings both benefits and costs to creativity, and thriving at work and emotional exhaustion are the two “key drivers” for MTM's employees to stimulate creativity. On the one hand, MTM enhances creativity by positively affecting thriving at work. By contrast, MTM reduces creativity by increasing emotional exhaustion. In addition, this study further tests the boundary mechanism of the MTM. Specifically, polychronicity positively moderates the relationship between MTM and thriving at work, and it further moderates the benefit-mediating path of thriving at work. Meanwhile, polychronicity significantly moderates the relationship between MTM and emotional exhaustion and further moderates the cost-mediating path of emotional exhaustion. This empirical study focuses on the complex mechanism of how and when MTM effectively affects creativity, responds to scholars’ calls for further exploration of the effects of MTM, and provides a theoretical reference for organizations to enhance creativity.