Human Resources Management and Creativity: A Cross-level Examination of Underlying Mechanisms

Abstract

This multilevel research examines intrinsic motivation, domain-relevant skills, and creativity-relevant skills as the links between systems of human resources (HR) practices and employee creativity. Integrating the strategic HR research and the componential theory of creativity, we hypothesize that intrinsic motivation mediates the relationship between the maintenance-oriented HR systems and employee creativity, both intrinsic motivation and domain-relevant skills mediate the relationship between the performance-oriented HR systems and employee creativity, and creativity-relevant skills mediate the relationship between creativity-oriented HR systems and employee creativity. We conducted multilevel analyses using data from 1,086 core knowledge employees and their direct supervisors and senior HR executives in 108 firms. Results largely supported the hypotheses. Departing from previous research which has focused on intrinsic motivation only, this study offers a comprehensive test of the componential theory of creativity. It also provides a cross-level foundation for opening the black box between HR systems and employee creativity and advances prior conceptualizations and tests of psychological mechanisms linking context and creativity.