Abstract
Leaders’ positive and implicit followership theory (LPIFT) in a university scientific research team influences innovation in university scientific research. Individual creativity is an important aspect of innovation in university scientific research. However, the influence mechanism of LPIFT of a university scientific research team on individual creativity remains unclear. Based on social cognitive theory and the input–process–output (IPO) theoretical model, we selected a postgraduate supervisor and postgraduates of a university scientific research team as the research objects. We explored the influence between LPIFT of a university scientific research team leader and individual creativity using a questionnaire. A total of 413 valid paired samples were collected from the postgraduate and postgraduate supervisor. We drew the following conclusions: LPIFT of the university scientific research team had a direct positive effect on individual creativity. Individual creative role identity, individual creative self-efficacy, and individual willingness to create knowledge had completely mediating effects on the relationship between LPIFT of the university scientific research team and individual creativity. Proactive personality positively moderated the relationship between LPIFT of the university scientific research team and individual creative role identity, as well as LPIFT of the university scientific research team and individual creative self-efficacy. Proactive personality also positively moderated the mediating effect of individual creative role identity and individual creative self-efficacy. However, the moderating effect of proactive personality between LPIFT of university research teams and individual willingness to create knowledge was not significant. Proactive personality also did not positively moderate the mediating effect of individual willingness to create knowledge.
Highlights
Creativity keeps university scientific research alive [1] and is the key driving factor for an organization to achieve and sustain competitive advantages [2]
This study examined the mediating role of individual creative role identity, individual creative self-efficacy, individual willingness to create knowledge in the relationship between the leaders’ positive and implicit followership theory (LPIFT) of university scientific research teams and individual creativity and explored whether this mediating effect was moderated by individual proactive personality
This study advances our understanding of how the LPITF of university scientific research teams promote individual creativity through individual creative role identity, individual creative self-efficacy and individual willingness to create knowledge in the condition of individual proactive personality
Summary
Creativity keeps university scientific research alive [1] and is the key driving factor for an organization to achieve and sustain competitive advantages [2]. To further encourage university scientific research teams and talents to have better environments and policies as well as provide relevant assistance to complete their work in their field of study, China has issued the Chang Jiang Scholars Program, the National Special Support Program for High-Level Talent, the Innovative Talent Promotion Program, and other policies in the National Mediums, and Long-Term Talent Development Plan Outline. To implement this plan, Chinese universities have introduced various policies to support the development of university teachers and scientific research teams. Excluding the reality of individual differences, one of the main reasons for the creativity difference problem is team leadership in the same environment and under the same task conditions [3]
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