Employee–organization exchange and employee creativity: a motivational perspective

A critical omission in employee creativity literature is lack of a clear understanding of why and how employee–organization exchange (EOX) affects employee creativity. We collected three-phrase data from 384 employees working with 64 supervisors in Guangdong Province, China. Results of Mplus (using design-based modeling approach) suggest that (i) need satisfaction mediates the EOX-creativity relationship, (ii) leader-member exchange (LMX) enhances the positive EOX-need satisfaction relationship, (iii) creative self-efficacy (CSE) neutralizes the positive need satisfaction-creativity relationship, and (iv) the indirect effect of EOX on creativity via need satisfaction is stronger for employees with high quality LMX and with low CSE. Using inducement-contribution framework, the study integrates social exchange and self-determination theories to explicate the mediating role of need satisfaction in the EOX-creativity relationship. Further, the study contributes to the understanding of the EOX-creativity relationship by examining the boundary conditions of LMX (as a synergistic enhancer) in the first stage and CSE (as a neutralizer that diminishes gains) in the second stage of indirect effect.