Leaders’ Management of Creative Ideas: The Joint Impact of Achievement Goals and Position Power

Abstract

In the present research, we examined the joint impact of leaders’ achievement goals and position power on their integrative management of creative ideas delivered either by a subordinate or a superior. In a field study (N = 149), we found that leaders’ mastery goals, but not their performance goals, were positively related to the intention to integrate creative ideas voiced by subordinates with their own ideas. When superiors delivered the creative ideas, however, both mastery goals and performance goals were positively related to integrative idea management. Similarly, in an experimental study (N = 94), we found that relative to mastery goal leaders and low-power performance goal leaders, high-power performance goal leaders reported lower intentions and were less likely to actually integrate creative ideas with their own ideas.