Flexible Work Arrangements and Employee Creativity: Insights from Job Characteristics and Attribution Theories

PurposeThis study aims to examine why and when employees engage in creative deviance to develop creativity in China. Drawing on strain theory, the authors examined creative deviance engagement as a mediator and transformational leadership as a moderator of the distinct relationships between emotional and rational status-striving orientations and radical and incremental creativity.Design/methodology/approachMultisource survey data were collected from 126 team leaders and 446 employees in Chinese firms. Multilevel path analysis was used to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe results show that emotional status-striving orientation relates to creative deviance engagement, which, in turn, has a stronger relationship with radical creativity than with incremental creativity. Furthermore, creative deviance engagement mediates the indirect relationships between emotional status-striving orientation and radical and incremental creativity. Moreover, transformational leadership moderates the above indirect relationships.Originality/valueThis study is among the first attempts to empirically test the distinct relationships between creative deviance engagement and radical and incremental creativity and further examine how creative deviance engagement mediates the indirect relationships between status-striving orientations and radical and incremental creativity. In addition, the boundary condition of the indirect relationships is investigated. The findings provide valuable insights for the extant literature on status and employee creativity.

Although individualism-collectivism orientations play pivotal roles in determining individual creativity, the conclusions on the topic are inconsistent. Based on sensemaking theory, our research aims to examine how individualism and collectivism differentially affect individual creativity by classifying creativity into radical creativity and incremental creativity. Time-lagged data from 342 Chinese employees and their supervisors indicated that vertical individualism has a stronger positive impact on radical creativity than on incremental creativity, whereas horizontal individualism has no significant effect on radical or incremental creativity. Meanwhile, the positive effect of vertical collectivism on incremental creativity is stronger than that on radical creativity; in contrast, the difference between the effects of horizontal collectivism on radical creativity and incremental creativity is insignificant. Our research further underscores the crucial theoretical perspective of multifaceted creativity for explaining how individualism-collectivism values drive employee creativity and highlights the vital implication for predicting employee creativity on the basis of employees’ cultural values (individualism vs. collectivism).

This study investigates the effects of workplace flexibility and internal communication on marketing effectiveness through employee creativity in micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). Using a quantitative approach, data were collected from 370 employees of MSMEs in Purwakarta, Indonesia, who are actively involved in marketing-related activities. Structural Equation Modeling with Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) was applied to test the proposed relationships. The results show that workplace flexibility has a significant positive effect on employee creativity, and internal communication also significantly enhances creative behavior. Employee creativity is found to positively influence marketing effectiveness, indicating that creative engagement is essential for achieving effective marketing outcomes. Furthermore, employee creativity mediates the relationships between workplace flexibility and marketing effectiveness, as well as between internal communication and marketing effectiveness. These findings suggest that organizational practices shape market performance through behavioral mechanisms. The study contributes to creativity and marketing literature by integrating internal organizational factors with external performance outcomes. Practically, the results provide guidance for MSME managers in designing flexible and communicative work environments to strengthen creative capacity and improve marketing effectiveness.

Despite increasing scholarly inquiry about employee creativity, there is a lack of understanding of how individual traits develop or inhibit employee creativity. To narrow this gap, we adopt an interactionist perspective to investigate how individual and contextual factors integrate with each other and influence employee creativity. Drawing upon this perspective, we conceptualize a model proposing that employees' openness to experience affects their radical and incremental creativity under the conditions of supportive supervision and co-worker trust. We test our hypotheses by using survey data from a sample of 199 working professionals in Ireland. Results show that openness to experience positively relates to both radical creativity and incremental creativity. Meanwhile, the relationship between openness to experience and incremental creativity depends on the level of cognition-based trust in the co-worker. We conclude this paper by discussing the theoretical and managerial implications of our findings.

Employee creativity is vital for contemporary companies to survive and develop in the VUCA era. Although numerous research has contributed to employee literature by examining organizational factors that improve employee creativity, a better understanding is still needed regarding the differences between radical and incremental creativity, especially the different mechanisms to impact two kinds of creativity. To address this problem, we aim to provide a systematic review of radical and incremental creativity by a) clarifying the definitions and measurements of radical and incremental creativity; b) identifying the antecedents of radical and incremental creativity and developing an integrative framework; and c) comparing the differences regarding how to improve radical and incremental creativity. We also address several future research directions in the end.

This study examines the effects of remote work policies, workplace flexibility, and employee creativity on employee productivity in state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in Indonesia. Employing a quantitative research design with 120 respondents, data were collected using a Likert-scale questionnaire (1-5) and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling-Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS 3). The findings reveal that remote work policies and workplace flexibility significantly enhance employee creativity and productivity. Moreover, employee creativity acts as a critical mediator, amplifying the effects of these organizational policies on productivity. The study underscores the importance of fostering a flexible and supportive work environment to enhance performance in SOEs, providing practical implications for policy formulation and leadership strategies.

Purpose The potential of generative AI (GenAI) to stimulate employee creativity has received extensive attention from industry and academia. However, there is still limited research on strategically using GenAI to leverage its positive effects on employee creativity. This study aims to clarify the effects of different GenAI use purposes on employee creativity. Design/methodology/approach Based on self-determination theory, this study explores the effects of work-related and nonwork-related GenAI use on incremental and radical creativity through the mediator role of exploratory and exploitative learning and the boundary role of perceived ease of use. This study constructs a theoretical model and uses structural equation modeling to test the model by analyzing survey data from 330 employees. Findings (1) Work-related and nonwork-related GenAI use positively impacts incremental and radical creativity through exploratory and exploitative learning; (2) work-related GenAI use contributes more to exploitative learning than to exploratory learning, while nonwork-related GenAI use contributes more to exploratory learning than to exploitative learning; (3) exploitative learning has a stronger positive impact on incremental creativity, and exploratory learning has a stronger positive impact on radical creativity; (4) perceived ease of use weakens the positive effects of nonwork-related GenAI use on exploratory and exploitative learning. Originality/value First, this study enriches employee creativity research by revealing the relationship between different GenAI use purposes and incremental and radical creativity. Second, this study enriches employee creativity research by revealing the mediating role of exploratory and exploitative learning between GenAI use and incremental and radical creativity. Finally, this study enriches GenAI use research by revealing the moderating role of perceived ease of use between GenAI use and employee learning.

This study investigates the main and interactive effects of job characteristics on the creativity of frontline service employees. Past research investigates the link between job complexity, an index measure of job characteristics, and employee creativity. This study follows a component-wise approach in studying the influence of each job characteristic on the creativity of employees. The approach overcomes a number of limitations such as the sole reliance on the intrinsic motivation rationale. In addition, we conduct this research in services, whereas past research has focused primarily on other settings. The study tests a model with 460 employees from a service setting and shows that consideration of the effects of each job characteristic has an explanatory power beyond that of job complexity. Furthermore, the results show that job characteristics interact with each other to affect creativity. Finally, the results also indicate that the component-wise approach is useful for managers for prioritizing efforts. In particular, the results indicate that to promote creative behaviors, service managers should consider increasing employee job autonomy, variety, feedback, and identity. However, the interactions between job characteristics also reveal that to build an environment that stimulates creative performance, it is important to find the right balance between job characteristics.

Purpose This study aims to examine the relationships between three characteristics of organizational design, i.e. centralization, formalization and connectedness, and both radical creativity and incremental creativity, particularly with respect to the possible mediating role played by knowledge scanning in this context. Design/methodology/approach Time-lagged data were collected from 414 dyads of employees and their immediate supervisors from 35 organizations. Multilevel analysis was used to test the proposed hypothesis. Findings The results revealed that centralization has a negative indirect effect on radical creativity via external scanning and a negative indirect effect on incremental creativity via internal scanning. In contrast, connectedness has a positive indirect effect on radical creativity via external scanning and a positive indirect effect on incremental creativity via internal scanning. In contrast to the expectations, the indirect effect of formalization on creativity is not significant. Originality/value The results of this research provide a novel theoretical perspective that can advance the understanding of the relationships between organizational design characteristics and creativity and clarify the potential mechanism underlying these complex relationships.

Innovative products and services are key factors in corporate competitiveness, and the expression “employee creativity” is the top priority factor in leading corporate innovation. This study aims to investigate the differences between the predictive variables for the expression of radical and incremental creativity and the combinations of the predictive variables, which aid in the expression of two types of creativity. A research survey was conducted with 600 employees working in newspaper, broadcasting, and film businesses. The results were derived by conducting a fuzzy‐set qualitative comparative analysis (fs/QCA) on 513 useful samples. Using necessity and sufficiency analysis of a fs/QCA, the results indicate that the three personal factors—job expertise, creative process engagement, and work engagement—are commonly required for two types of creativity. Conversely, organizational–environmental factors, a risk‐taking climate, and external networking behavior are only predictive variables of radical creativity. This study's results provide insights regarding the personal and environmental resources that employees must secure to express radical and incremental creativity. Because a clear difference was found in the factors required for the expression of the two types of creativity, based on the results of this study, Human Resource Development(HRD) can devise an effective method to support the expression of the two types of differential creativity.

This study explores non-monetary strategies employed by IT talent acquisition managers to retain niche employees in a highly competitive digital landscape. Focusing on factors such as work-life balance, organizational culture, and job design, the research adopts a qualitative pragmatic inquiry approach. It draws on the Job Characteristics Model, Job Characteristics Theory, and Expectancy Theory to examine how these factors influence long-term retention. Findings emphasize that successful retention strategies extend beyond traditional compensation models, with a focus on psychological empowerment, flexible work arrangements, and professional development opportunities. The study highlights the importance of creating an organizational culture that fosters knowledge sharing, innovation, and continuous learning. Results also indicate that work-life balance and career growth are key drivers of retention for niche IT talent. The research provides actionable insights for talent acquisition managers, suggesting that comprehensive retention strategies addressing both personal well-being and professional growth are essential for maintaining a skilled workforce. Despite methodological limitations, including a small sample size and reliance on self-reported data, the study contributes valuable knowledge to both academic and professional practice. It underscores the need for context-specific retention strategies to navigate the challenges of retaining specialized IT professionals in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.

Modern organizations frequently expect their employees to exhibit high creativity while facing considerable job insecurity. Although it is often assumed that job insecurity diminishes individual creativity, the empirical findings on this relationship are not consistent. The present study aims to scrutinize this assumption and to address such inconsistencies. To do so, we cast both job insecurity and creativity as multidimensional constructs, and we examine key mechanisms and boundary conditions of their linkages. Results from both a longitudinal (Study 1) and a time-lagged multisource survey study (Study 2) illustrated a negative indirect relation between quantitative job insecurity and radical creativity via diminished career commitment. For qualitative job insecurity, by contrast, there was a negative indirect relation with incremental creativity via reduced organizational identification. Moreover, Study 2 revealed distinct moderators for these associations. Employees’ turnover risk propensity buffered the indirect connection between quantitative job insecurity and radical creativity, whereas Confucian traditionality mitigated the indirect relation between qualitative job insecurity and incremental creativity. These findings shed new light on the important role of job insecurity for individual employees’ creative performance and advance our theoretical understanding of the complexities underlying these linkages.

This paper explores the relationships among positive and negative work reflection during leisure time, psychological capital, and radical and incremental creativity. We collected data from 500 dyads of employees and their direct supervisors, and employed the structural equation model to test our research hypotheses. The results reveal that positive work reflection during leisure time is positively related to radical and incremental creativity, while negative work reflection during leisure time is negatively related to the two types of creativity. Our findings also suggest that psychological capital mediates the effects of positive and negative work reflection during leisure time on radical and incremental creativity.

PurposeHealthcare organizations require more proactive behaviors from nursing professionals. However, nurse managers’ proactivity has rarely been analyzed in the literature and little is known about the antecedents and consequences of their proactive behavior at work. This study examines the relationships between job characteristics (i.e. job autonomy and job variety), psychological empowerment, proactive work behavior and job effectiveness indicators (i.e. innovative work behavior, job performance). We tested a model in which psychological empowerment and proactive work behavior sequentially mediate the relationship between job characteristics and job effectiveness.Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional study was conducted among nurse middle managers from a French hospital (N = 321). A hypothetical model was developed based on existing theory. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses.FindingsResults show that psychological empowerment and proactive work behavior fully mediate the relationship between job characteristics and innovative work behavior, and partially mediate the relationship between job characteristics and job performance.Originality/valueThis study provides insights for understanding how job characteristics can contribute to fostering the proactivity of nurse middle managers and how their proactive work behavior can be positively related to innovative work behavior and job performance. Findings raise several implications for hospital administrators and upper management seeking new ways to enhance nurse middle managers' proactive work behavior and push further their effectiveness at work.

Although incremental creativity and radical creativity have been established as two distinct types of creativity, many questions remain about the antecedents and processes that result in these two types of creativity. This field study considered the impact of a motivational factor (creative self-efficacy), as well as factors that involve retrieving knowledge that may be applied toward a problem (scanning for information within the firm, scanning the environment external to the organization for new ideas, and cross-applying nonwork experiences to work) in efforts to determine whether they differentially relate to incremental and radical creativity. Results of a study conducted in eight organizations suggested support for a positive relationship between creative self-efficacy and radical creativity. Results also provided support for internal scanning (scanning within the organization for new ideas) as positively related to both incremental and radical creativity, but external scanning was only related to radical creativity. In addition, mediation analyses showed that external scanning partially mediated the effect of creative self-efficacy on radical creativity. One key implication of this study is that individuals who have a high level of creative self-efficacy can increase the likelihood that they will achieve radical creativity by scanning for information outside of their organization's boundaries.