Unraveling the Pathways to Creative Performance: The Serial Mediation of Career Optimism and Career Commitment Between Core Self-Evaluation and Employee Creative Performance in the IT Sector

Abstract

Organizations seeking to innovate and gain a competitive edge must unleash creative potential in the workplace. The current study is aimed at assessing the serial mediation of career optimism and career commitment in the relationship between core self-evaluation (CSE) and employee creative performance. 458 employees from the IT sector participated in the study belonging to Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Data was collected using adopted questionnaires. SPSS PROCESS Macro was used for data analysis. The findings showed that individuals with higher levels of CSE also had higher levels of career optimism, which affects their commitment to their careers. Consequently, higher levels of career commitment have a positive impact on their ability to produce creative work. These findings highlight the need of taking career optimism and career commitment into account as sequential mediators of CSE's influence on creative performance. Furthermore, this work provides the door for future research into the underlying mechanisms and the examination of new aspects that could add to the complex dynamics of creativity.