Workplace GenAI Adoption and Employee Creativity: The Role of Job Crafting and Proactive Personality

The current study aims to explore whether the adoption of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in the workplace can enhance employee creativity. Drawing on event system theory, we conceptualize workplace GenAI adoption as an event relevant to employees’ work, and examine the effect of workplace GenAI adoption event strength (i.e., novelty, disruption, and criticality) on employee creativity. Results from a three-wave lagged survey study indicated that employees’ perceived workplace GenAI adoption event strength facilitates their job crafting, which in turn increases their creativity. Moreover, proactive personality strengthens the positive effect of workplace GenAI adoption event disruption and criticality (but not novelty) on job crafting, such that employees with a high proactive personality are more likely to engage in job crafting. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.