The differential implications of employee narcissism for radical versus incremental creativity: A self‐affirmation perspective

Abstract

SummaryIn this paper, we investigate the differential implications of employee narcissism for radical versus incremental creativity. Drawing on self‐affirmation theory, we argue that narcissistic employees are likely to demonstrate more radical than incremental creativity in the workplace because a more extreme form of creativity can more strongly affirm their feelings of uniqueness and superiority. Results from a scenario experiment and a three‐wave, multisource survey reveal that creative self‐efficacy is a key underlying mechanism that facilitates narcissistic employees to exhibit radical and incremental creativity. The indirect relationships are more salient when the supervisor has higher expectations for creativity from employees. Furthermore, the conditional indirect effect is stronger on radical than incremental creativity. Contributions to the literature and management practices are also addressed.