When does Employee Creativity Matter? Examining the Antecedents and Contingent Effect of Employee Creativity on Counterproductive Work Behavior

Abstract

Employee creativity is highlighted in most studies as an important contributing factor to organizational performance for competitive advantage. Emerging studies note that there is a dark side to employee creativity, which erodes its intended benefits. Few studies have investigated this dark side of employee creativity and its effect on employee and organizational performance. The study hypothesized a relationship between employee creativity and Counterproductive Work Behaviour (CWB) moderated by the effect of the antecedent of employee creativity while recognizing its influence on organizational performance. The study relied on a multi-scale probability sampling technique to collect data from 359 employees and their supervisors from the advertising industry in Ghana, and the data were analyzed using the Partial Least Square - Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings of this study include those antecedents of employee creativity consisting of personal characteristics (role identity, self-efficacy, learning and performance orientation) and supervisory factors (role ambiguity, transformational leadership, achievement orientation, process, and output controls) had varying effects as some enhanced whilst others hindered employee creativity. In general, while the findings reveal employee creativity significantly affects CWB negatively, it is also the case that the antecedents of employee creativity moderated the relationship between employee creativity and CWB to create conditions in which some hinder CWB while others enhance CWB. This study therefore theoretically gives insight into why some antecedents of employee creativity might provide conditions under which enhancing employee creativity will either enhance or hinder CWB and conditions in which hindering employee creativity will either enhance or hinder CWB. This insight is important for managers to know when employee creativity matters to be able to enjoy its benefits while minimizing its negative effects through counterproductive work behaviours.