Engaging in Creative Work: The Influences of Personal Value, Autonomy at Work, and National Socialization for Self-Directedness in 50 Nations

Abstract

This study aims to examine why and how individuals’ self-reported engagement in creative work is separately and jointly influenced by dispositional, situational, and national-cultural factors worldwide. Using data abstracted from the World Value Survey, we proposed a multi-level model testing how the relationship between individuals’ creative value orientation and their self-reported creative work engagement is contingent on perceived job autonomy and how such interaction is further moderated by the dimension of national socialization for Self-Directedness in developing its human capital. Data provided by a total of 35,120 employees from 50 nations were included in our hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) analyses. As hypothesized, the relationship between an employee’s creative value orientation and creative job engagement is moderated by job autonomy, such that the relationship is stronger when the job held is more autonomous rather than less. However, the relationship of this Person × Situation interaction to creative work engagement was not as extensive as expected—It is stronger in nations emphasizing Self-Directedness in socializing its children. Our findings thus offer conceptual guidelines and practical insights to national and firm leaders aspiring to effect actions for creativity using both personal and situational factors in a given national-cultural context.