Empowering employee creativity in service organizations: unlocking the role of ownership, employee vitality and supportive leadership

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study examines the moderating effect of employee vitality and supportive leadership on the relationship between psychological ownership, that is, individual and collective psychological and employee creativity, among frontline employees in three service industries in Ghana. Five hundred and seventy-one (571) participants were selected using a convenience sampling technique and took part in the study by completing a paper and pencil self-reported questionnaire. The data was analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modelling. The findings indicate that employees’ individual and collective psychological ownership, as well as employee vitality and supportive leadership, are good predictors of employee creativity. The study further reveals that the relationship between collective psychological ownership and employee creativity is enhanced by both supportive leadership and employee vitality. On the contrary, the relationship between individual psychological ownership and employee creativity is improved only by employee vitality but not by supportive leadership. The theoretical and empirical contributions of the study were highlighted, and directions for future research were also indicated.