The influence of leaders' and other referents' normative expectations on individual involvement in creative work

We examined how the perceived expectations of the leader, customers, and family influence individuals' creative involvement at work. The perceived expectations of all three of these reference groups were positively associated with employee's self-expectations for creativity. These self-expectations for creativity, in turn, were associated with creative involvement at work. This latter effect was stronger among participants who reported higher self-efficacy for creativity. Implications for how leaders support followers' creative behavior are discussed.