Employee Creative Performance Research Articles

Unraveling the Impact of Team Performance‐Prove Goal Orientation on Employee Creative Performance Through a Transactional Stress Theory Framework

ABSTRACTAlthough research on team performance‐prove goal orientation (TPPGO) has flourished, there remains a scarcity of studies investigating its impact on individual performance. Drawing upon transactional stress theory, our study aims to explore the dual nature of the influence exerted by TPPGO on employee creative performance. Employing a multi‐level regression analysis of 369 two‐stage, multi‐source matched questionnaire responses, we find that challenge appraisal serves as a mediator in the relation between TPPGO and creative performance, while threat appraisal acts as a conditional mediator. Furthermore, subjective goal difficulty moderates the effect of TPPGO on both challenge and threat appraisals, thereby transmitting the positive and negative impacts of TPPGO on creative performance, respectively. Our findings contribute to the existing research by enriching the understanding of how TPPGO impacts creative performance, including its explanatory mechanisms and boundary conditions. Additionally, this study offers valuable suggestions for managers in setting team goals from a dialectical perspective.

Passive leadership and hospitality frontline employees’ creative performance in the UAE: The moderating role of job tenure and coworker help and support

The purpose of this research is to investigate how passive leadership affects creative performance of frontline employees (FLEs) through an analysis of the mediating role played by burnout. Furthermore, the study sought to investigate the moderating effects of coworker support and job tenure, as well as their combined influence as a joint moderator, in relation to this relationship. Employing a time-lagged method, data on 238 frontline employee-supervisor dyads were collected and analyzed through modeling of structural equations. The results indicated that passive leadership directly and indirectly affect creative performance negatively. The three-way interaction result showed that burnout can be diminished when employees receive much help and support from their coworkers and when they have been in their job for longer. The effect of the joint moderators tends to be stronger than any individual moderator, suggesting that multiple resources are better to help FLEs deal with job stressors. The current paper provides a novel theoretical perspective that supports the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory and cross-domain buffering approach by elucidating the circumstances under which passive leadership is likely to diminish employee creative performance, with a particular focus on the hospitality industry. This study investigates the mechanisms, timing, and reasons behind this phenomenon.

Charting creativity in government: the relationship between transformational leadership, psychological empowerment and employee creative performance

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the link between transformational leadership and employee creativity through the lens of self-determination theory, with psychological empowerment serving as a mediating factor. Additionally, it will examine how financial rewards and job formalization might moderate this relationship.Design/methodology/approachThe research uses a survey approach, targeting employees and supervisors from government ministries in the United Arab Emirates through purposive sampling. The study collected data from 254 participants via an online questionnaire and analyzed it using the partial least squares structural equation modeling technique in SmartPLS4.FindingsThe results show that transformational leadership has a significant impact on the psychological empowerment and creative performance of employees. The relationship between transformative leadership and employee creative performance is mediated by psychological empowerment. Additionally, the moderating effects of financial rewards and job formalization are explored. The findings do not support the moderating role of job formalization, and financial rewards negatively moderate the transformational leadership–psychological empowerment relationship.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is centered on a particular cultural setting and government ministry employees, thus limiting the generalizability.Originality/valueThis study explores at how transformational leadership affects employee creativity, considering the role of psychological empowerment and how financial rewards and job structure might influence this relationship.

Daily Idea Generation and Employee Creative Performance: Effect of Day-Level Congruence Between Felt Responsibility for Change and Willingness to Take Risks

This study explores a potential joint effect between two proactive motives on creative performance. Departing from the assumption of motivation as a relatively stable between-person construct, we also pay attention to the within-person process to examine how daily fluctuations of proactive motives affect daily idea generation, leading to creative performance. Specifically, drawing on job demands–resources theory, we theorize a joint effect of two proactive motives at the within-person level: daily felt responsibility for change (DFRC) and daily willingness to take risks (DWTR). We test our hypotheses by analyzing data collected from 135 employees and their supervisors by using the experience sampling method followed by multiwave field surveys. Daily idea generation is high when the DFRC and DWTR have high congruence, particularly when both motives are high rather than low. In addition, daily idea generation mediates the effect of the DFRC and DWTR congruence on employee creative performance as appraised by supervisors. Moreover, seeking feedback from coworkers strengthens the indirect effect of the DFRC and DWTR congruence on employee creative performance via daily idea generation. This study offers a fine-grained view of motivational mechanisms and employee social behavior that lead to creative performance in the workplace.

Fostering employee creativity through creativity-contingent extrinsic and intrinsic rewards that emphasise creativity: A systematic review of creativity academic papers

Creativity is widely believed to be necessary to increase quality performance. Thus, in today’s more challenging and competitive environment, the contemporary organization frequently utilizes rewards practices to stimulate creative activities among employees. Existing research on reward practices shows evidence that creativity contingent rewards play a vital role in improving employee creative performance. This study presents a systematic review of extrinsic and intrinsic rewards that contribute to creativity and their effect on employee creativity. The findings show that regardless of the degree of importance of the rewards perceived by the employee, both the extrinsic and intrinsic rewards were positively correlated with the behaviour of creativity behavior. Interestingly, the results showed that creativity-contingent intrinsic rewards have relatively stronger effects on employee creativity when compared to creativity-contingent extrinsic rewards.

Managers' Confucian leadership and employee creative performance: Mediation through supervisor–subordinate guanxi

Although prior research has acknowledged that leadership affects employee creative performance, few studies have examined the influence of managers' Confucian leadership on employee creative performance. We explored the relationship of managers' Confucian leadership and employee creative performance, and conceptualized supervisor–subordinate guanxi as a mediator for understanding this link. We conducted a survey with 496 supervisor–subordinate dyads employed in 25 high-tech companies across China. The results of structural equation modeling showed that managers' Confucian leadership was positively connected with employee creative performance, and that supervisor–subordinate guanxi mediated this relationship. Our study sheds light on the complex process by which managers' Confucian leadership affects employee creative performance and suggests that managers should receive training on Confucian leadership and build good supervisor–subordinate guanxi to enhance employee creative performance.

Do the Right Thing the Right Way! How Ethical Leaders Increase Employees Creative Performance

This study presents a moderated mediation model of leadership influences by examining the effects of ethical leadership on employee creative performance, using data from 342 employees matched with their supervisors in small and medium organizations in Ghana. The study revealed that creative self-efficacy mediated the positive relationship between ethical leadership and employee creative performance from the SPSS macro-PROCESS analysis. Additionally, job autonomy was identified as a situational moderator in the ethical leadership and employee creative self-efficacy relationship. Thus, the relationship between ethical leadership and employee creative self-efficacy was stronger as the job autonomy level rose. Finally, the theoretical contributions, practical implications as well as limitations, and future research directions were also discussed.

How and when employees’ boundary-spanning behavior improves their creative performance: A moderated mediation model

Abstract This article draws on status characteristics theory to explore the mechanisms of individual-level boundary-spanning behavior on employee creative performance, as well as the mediating role of informal status and the moderating role of Zhongyong thinking. The results of a two-wave questionnaire survey of 202 employees show that boundary-spanning behavior has a significant positive relationship with employees’ creative performance, informal status mediates the link between boundary-spanning behavior and creative performance of this employee, Zhongyong thinking plays a moderating role between employees’ boundary-spanning behavior and their informal status, and Zhongyong thinking also moderates the mediating role of informal status between boundary-spanning behavior and employee creative performance. In this paper, a moderated mediation model is established to enhance the understanding of the effects and mechanisms of individual boundary-spanning behavior, as well as to provide some constructive insight into how boundary-spanning behavior can be effectively employed in management practice within the Chinese context.

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

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.

The impacts of within-task and between-task personal Internet usage on employee creative performance: the moderating role of perceived organisational support

PurposeEmployees' personal Internet usage (PIU) has become increasingly common at work. It is important for both researchers and managers to understand how PIU affects employee creative performance. This study aims to examine what kind of PIU is likely to increase or decrease employee creative performance and why. The authors also examine a potential boundary condition for the effect of PIU on employee creative performance.Design/methodology/approachBased on conservation of resource (COR) theory and broaden and build theory, the authors investigated the impact of two types of PIU, namely within-task PIU and between-task PIU, on the creative performance of knowledge workers. The authors conducted a daily diary study and surveyed 107 knowledge workers in China over 10 consecutive working days (n = 1,070) to test the model.FindingsThe authors find that within-task PIU reduces knowledge workers' creative performance by decreasing the workers' positive emotion, whereas between-task PIU promotes the performance by increasing positive emotion. The above relationships become stronger when knowledge workers perceive a higher level of organisational support.Originality/valueThe authors' study makes theoretical contributions by advancing researchers' understanding of the situations in which PIU may decrease or increase employee creative performance. The findings are also useful for developing organisational policies to take advantage of the positive side of PIU whilst avoiding PIU's negative side.

"Overqualified" ? Research on the Influence Mechanism of Illegitimate Tasks on Employees' Creative Performance

As a new type of stressor in the workplace, illegitimate tasks (IT) bring some confusion to employees' rational allocation of resources, and reduce employees' work passion because of their offensive professional identity. In turn, it reduces the creative performance that can benefit the long-term development of the organization and the individual. Based on the conservation of resources theory and the stress-as-offense-to-self theory (SOS), using the method of multi-period survey data, this paper discusses the influence mechanism of illegitimate tasks on employee creative performance (CP) from a cognitive perspective. The results show that IT are negatively related to employee CP, and can be indirectly related through organization-based self-esteem (OBSE), that is, OBSE plays an intermediary role between IT and employee CP. In addition, the study found that psychological resilience (PR) plays a double moderating role in the direct or indirect relationship between IT and employee CP. This study expands and deepens the discussion of the mechanism between IT and employee CP, and lays a foundation for promoting the follow-up research of IT.

Humble leadership and employee creative performance in China: the roles of boundary spanning behavior and traditionality

PurposeThis paper examined the mediating role of boundary spanning behavior and the moderating effects of traditionality linking humble leadership and employee creative performance from the perspective of Social Exchange Theory (SET) to reveal the behavioral mechanism and boundary condition regarding the influence of humble leadership on creative performance.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 276 employees and the supervisors from 8 companies in China was taken using two-wave data.FindingsThe results indicated that humble leadership was positively related to employee creative performance, and boundary spanning behavior partially mediated the relationship between humble leadership and employee creative performance. Traditionality strengthens the mediation process when traditionality is high.Practical implicationsThese findings provide several theoretical and practical implications for the domains of humble leadership and boundary spanning behavior. For example, human resource (HR) departments can recruit leaders with high humility and cultivate team leaders through systematic training programs about self-awareness, openness and self-transcendence; team leaders should encourage employees to participate in boundary spanning activities and hiring managers select employees with high traditionality to synergize with leader humility.Originality/valueBased on the SET, this paper explored the behavioral mechanism between humble leadership and creative performance and enriched the prior research, which is from the cognitive or emotional view, and further answered the question “what are the employees' behavioral responses when they confront the humble leadership”.

The effect of informal status on employee creative performance: a moderated mediation model

The effect of informal status on employee creative performance: a moderated mediation model

The Relationship between Perceived Organisational Support and Creative Performance of Employees: A Study from the Public Sector in Syria

The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between perceived organisational support (POS) represented by the following dimensions: behaviour of leaders towards subordinates, contribution to decision-making, support and self-assurance among employees, and the creative performance of employees, as well as whether there is a difference in level of perception of organisational support according to demographic variables (sex, functional age, scientific qualification). The research sample consisted of all 138 employees of the Syrian Telecommunications and Post Regulatory Authority (SY-TPRA). Using the analytical descriptive method, a questionnaire was designed and distributed throughout the sample. The findings indicate that POS has a strong positive correlation with the creative performance of employees, and that there is no difference in employees’ level of perception of the organisational support depending on the considered demographic variables. As far as the researchers are aware, this research is the first of its kind to be carried out in the telecommunications sector in Syria. Practically, this research will help decision makers improve the creative performance of staff on the one hand, and to develop management practices that are properly perceived by employees on the other.

LINKING THE USE OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AND EMPLOYEE CREATIVE PERFORMANCE: THE INFLUENCE OF CREATIVE PROCESS ENGAGEMENT AND MOTIVATION

Although prior studies have examined the positive direct effect of using knowledge management systems (KMS) on firm performance, scholars have devoted scant attention to their impact on creative performance at the employee level even though individuals primarily provide creative outputs. To investigate the impact of using KMS on employee creative performance and help clarify the relevant contingencies that positively affect this relationship, the authors develop a theoretical model that links KMS usage with intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and creative process engagement and explore their contribution to employee creative performance. Using data from an online survey of 528 employees, the empirical results show that KMS usage raises employee creative performance. Moreover, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and creative process engagement increase employee creative performance. However, the authors find no positive moderating impact of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation or creative process engagement on the KMS usage-employee creative performance relationship.

Paradoxical Effect of Exploitative Leadership on Employee Performance (WITHDRAWN)

Based on paradox theory, this study aims to investigate the paradoxical consequences of exploitative leadership on employee work outcomes. From the perspective of the ‘performing–learning’ lens, we hypothesise that exploitative leaders boost employee task performance, yet inhibit employee creative performance. In a three-wave time-lagged field study with 106 leaders and 249 matched subordinates, the results confirm our hypotheses, and we also find mediating effects of performance pressure and intrinsic motivation, as well as a moderating effect of traditional value. When leaders exert more exploitative behaviours, employees with a high level of traditionality show enhanced task performance via performance pressure, while those low in traditionality display worse creative performance because of their poor intrinsic motivation. These findings contribute to the destructive leadership literature, emphasising the distinct influences of exploitative leadership on different aspects of employee performance, and have implications for management practice.

Ethical Leadership and Employee Creative Performance: Discussing the mediating role of Employer Feedback Environment in Software Houses of Pakistan

Purpose: The basic purpose of this study was to explore employee creative performance, the contextual issues in the form of the leader’s style, and the feedback environment established by the leader in the Pakistani context. This study has presented a mechanism model for an understanding predictor of employee creative performance with the help of various theories. Methodology: Data was collected and analyzed from software houses registered in PSEB from 320 leader-employee dyads. Our research design was correlational. To reduce the common method biases, data was collected from two sources: leaders and their subordinates by sending the online questionnaire. To measure the uni-dimensionality and validity of construct EFA was performed through SPSS. Further, to assess the common method biases Heterotrait-Monotrait Ratio (HTMT) was used. SEM was used to compute, analyze, and prove relationships of proposed hypotheses and model fitness. CFA was used to confirm the theoretical measurement model, on AMOS 24 by using the rotated factor analysis. Finding: To sustain in this era of the competitive global business environment, organizations can stimulate employee creative performance by focusing on contextual and subjective variables. As per the findings, contextual factors like feedback environment associated with the leader regarding his style should be ethical, have a vital position in an organization for improving creative performance among employees. Specifically, the current study owns its justification and contribution to the literature and practical implications in various ways. Conclusion: The study indicates that the ethical style of leadership has a strong positive (+) association with the creative performance of employees as well as with the employer feedback environment. Also the employer feedback environment has partial mediation among ethical leadership and employee creative performance.

Role of Psychological Contracts in Enhancing Employee Creativity Through Knowledge Sharing: Do Boundary Conditions of Organization's Socialization and Work-Related Curiosity Matter?

COVID-19 has had a huge impact on workers and workplaces across the world while putting regular work practices into disarray. Apart from the obvious effects of COVID-19, the pandemic is anticipated to have a variety of social–psychological, health-related, and economic implications for individuals at work. Despite extensive research on psychological contracts and knowledge sharing, these domains of pedagogic endeavor have received relatively little attention in the context of employee creativity subjected to the boundary conditions of the organization’s socialization and work-related curiosity. This study investigates, empirically, the role of psychological contracts in escalating employee creativity through knowledge sharing by considering the moderating role of an organization’s socialization and work-related curiosity. The response received from 372 employees of the manufacturing sector has been investigated and analyzed through Smart PLS software. The results have revealed that knowledge sharing is mediating the relationship between psychological contract and employee creative performance, whereas the moderators significantly moderate the relationships between psychological contract and knowledge sharing and between knowledge sharing and employee creative performance accordingly. It has also been depicted that the moderating impact shown by both moderators is significantly high.

Ethical Leadership and Employee Creative Performance: Discussing the mediating role of Employer Feedback Environment in Software Houses of Pakistan

Ethical Leadership and Employee Creative Performance: Discussing the mediating role of Employer Feedback Environment in Software Houses of Pakistan

Enabling the Creative Performance of Indian IT Employees Through Their Voice: The Mediating Role of Psychosocial Prosperity

ABSTRACTOrganizations largely depend on their employees’ creativity to attain a competitive advantage. Drawing on Ability-Motivation-Opportunity (AMO) theory, this study examines whether employees’ voice behavior (promotive and prohibitive) can be harnessed to improve their creative performance. By exploring the mediating role of psychosocial prosperity and moderating effects of employees’ perception of their influence at work and their feelings of alienation, this study offers a unique model that enhances the literature on voice and creativity. Data collected from 285 Information Technology professionals in India reveals that both forms of voice lead to creative performance, and psychosocial prosperity mediates this positive relationship. This finding offers different insight for scholars as much of the voice literature expects prohibitive voice to yield negative results for the employee because of its associated risks. Also, employees’ perceived influence at work strengthens the positive effect of promotive voice on psychosocial prosperity, while alienation weakens the relationship between psychosocial prosperity and creativity performance. The study concludes by discussing the implications, limitations, and directions for future researchers.