This study aims to explore the impact of intrapersonal diversity, specifically gender diversity in voluntary social relationships, on creativity. While prior research on individual creativity has primarily focused on intrinsic motivation and dispositional characteristics, this study adopts a relational perspective to investigate the influence of diversity in individuals’ social relationships. Unlike traditional diversity research, which often conceptualizes diversity as a group-level structural characteristic, this study focuses on the individual level, specifically the diversity of voluntary social networks, and empirically examines its effects. Additionally, this research takes a contextual approach to analyze when, how, and why intrapersonal relationship diversity affects creativity. Among contextual factors influencing team dynamics, this study focuses on team climate variables, such as psychological safety and diversity climate, as moderators. The hypotheses were tested using a multi-level mixed effect model with a matched sample of 124 supervisor-subordinate dyads from 49 teams across 23 companies. The findings indicate that the hypothesized direct positive relationship between intrapersonal social relationship diversity and creativity was not supported. However, the moderating effects of psychological safety and diversity climate were significant, reinforcing the positive relationship under favorable team conditions. This study contributes to diversity and creativity literature by conceptualizing intrapersonal diversity in social relationships, emphasizing the interaction between individual and contextual factors, and providing practical implications for enhancing creativity in organizational settings.
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