Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

‘One glories, all glory’: role of inclusiveness behaviour in creativity

  • Published:
Current Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Little is known about the specific strategy employees can adopt to promote their own creativity. To address this issue, the present study theorized and examined the influence of employees’ inclusiveness behaviour on their own creativity, as well as the mediating role of harmonious passion and the moderating role of power distance. Data was collected from 348 employees and their supervisors from three manufacturing enterprises in mainland China using a two-wave, time-lagged research design. Hierarchical regression analyses and PROCESS model were adopted to test proposed research hypotheses. Results revealed that inclusiveness behaviour was positively related to employee creativity and this relationship was mediated by harmonious passion. Moreover, the indirect effect of inclusiveness behaviour via harmonious passion was moderated by power distance. That is, the positive impact of inclusiveness behaviour on harmonious passion and subsequent employee creativity was stronger for employees low in power distance. These results highlight the importance of employees’ inclusiveness behaviour in the creative process. Organizations should encourage employees to engage in inclusiveness behaviour and strengthen their harmonious passion.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

Data Availability

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

References

  • Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions – institute for social and economic research. Evaluation Practice, 14(2), 167–168.

    Google Scholar 

  • Amabile, T. M. (1988). A model of creativity and innovations in organizations. Research in Organizational Behavior, 10, 123–167.

    Google Scholar 

  • Amabile, T. M. (1996). Creativity in context: Update to the social psychology of creativity. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Amabile, T. M., & Pratt, M. G. (2016). The dynamic componential model of creativity and innovation in organizations: Making progress, making meaning. Research in Organizational Behavior, 36, 157–183.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Amiot, C. E., Vallerand, R. J., & Blanchard, C. (2006). Passion and psychological adjustment: A test of the person – environment fit hypothesis. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32, 220–229.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, N., Potočnik, K., & Zhou, J. (2014). Innovation and creativity in organizations: A state-of-the-science review, prospective commentary, and guiding framework. Journal of Management, 40(3), 1297–1333.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: Freeman Lawrence.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(6), 1173–82.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bem, D. J. (1972). Self-perception theory. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 6, 1–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bentler, P. M., & Bonett, D. G. (1980). Significance tests and goodness of fit in the analysis of covariance structures. Psychological Bulletin, 88(3), 588–606.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Birkeland, I. K., & Nerstad, C. (2015). Incivility is (not) the very essence of love: Passion for work and incivility instigation. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 21(1), 77–89.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Boies, K., Fiset, J., & Gill, H. (2015). Communication and trust are key: Unlocking the relationship between leadership and team performance and creativity. The Leadership Quarterly, 26(6), 1080–1094.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brass, D. J., & Burkhardt, M. E. (1993). Potential power and power use: An investigation of structure and behavior. Academy of Management Journal, 36(3), 441–470.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brislin, R. W. (1986). The wording and translation of research instruments. In W. J. Lonner & J. W. Berry (Eds.), Field methods in cross-cultural research (pp. 137–164). Beverly Hills: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burke, R. J., Astakhova, M. N., & Hang, H. L. (2015). Work passion through the lens of culture: Harmonious work passion, obsessive work passion, and work outcomes in Russia and China. Journal of Business & Psychology, 30, 457–471.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cardon, M. S., & Kirk, C. P. (2015). Entrepreneurial passion as mediator of the self-efficacy to persistence relationship. Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, 39(5), 1027–1041.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carmeli, A., & Spreitzer, G. M. (2009). Trust, connectivity, and thriving: Implications for innovative behaviors at work. Journal of Creative Behavior, 43(3), 169–191.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carmeli, A., Reiter-Palmon, R., & Ziv, E. (2010). Inclusive leadership and employee involvement in creative tasks in the workplace: The mediating role of psychological safety. Creativity Research Journal, 22(3), 250–260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chaiken, S., & Baldwin, M. W. (1981). Affective-cognitive consistency and the effect of salient behavioral information on the self-perception of attitudes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 41(1), 1–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Stobbeleir, K. E. M., Ashford, S. J., & Buyens, D. (2011). Self-regulation of creativity at work: The role of feedback-seeking behavior in creative performance. Academy of Management Journal, 54(4), 811–831.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11, 227–268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dorfman, P. W., & Howell, J. P. (1988). Dimension of national culture and effective leadership patterns: Hofstede revisited. Advances in International Comparative Management, 3(1), 127–150.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elsbach, K. D., & Hargadon, A. B. (2006). Enhancing creativity through ‘mindless’ work: A framework of workday design. Organization Science, 17(4), 470–483.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Farh, J. L., Hackett, R. D., & Liang, J. (2007). Individual-level cultural values as moderators of perceived organizational support-employee outcome relationships in China: Comparing the effects of power distance and traditionality. Academy of Management Journal, 50(3), 715–729.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fock, H., Hui, M. K., Au, K., & Bond, M. H. (2013). Moderation effects of power distance on the relationship between types of empowerment and employee satisfaction. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 44(2), 281–298.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forest, J., Mageau, G. A., Crevier-Braud, L., Bergeron, E., Dubreuil, P., & Lavigne, G. L. (2012). Harmonious passion as an explanation of the relation between signature strengths’ use and well-being at work: Test of an intervention program. Human Relations, 65(9), 1233–1252.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56, 218–226.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gagné, M., & Deci, E. L. (2005). Self-determination theory and work motivation. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26(3), 331–362.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • George, J. M., & Zhou, J. (2001). When openness to experience and conscientiousness are related to creative behavior: An interactional approach. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 513–524.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gong, Y., Huang, J., & Farh, J. (2009). Employee learning orientation, transformational leadership, and employee creativity: The mediating role of employee creative self-efficacy. Academy of Management Journal, 52(4), 765–778.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gong, Y., Cheung, S. Y., Wang, M., & Huang, J. C. (2012). Unfolding the proactive process for creativity: Integration of the employee proactivity, information exchange, and psychological safety perspectives. Journal of Management, 38(5), 1611–1633.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grant, A. M., & Berry, J. W. (2011). The necessity of others is the mother of invention: Intrinsic and prosocial motivations, perspective taking, and creativity. Academy of Management Journal, 53(206), 375–383.

    Google Scholar 

  • Han, D., Lalwani, A. K., & Duhachek, A. (2017). Power distance belief, power, and charitable giving. Journal of Consumer Research, 44(1), 182–195.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hayes, A. F. (2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. New York: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hirst, G., Knippenberg, D. V., & Zhou, J. (2009). A cross-level perspective on employee creativity: Goal orientation, team learning behavior, and individual creativity. Academy of Management Journal, 52(2), 280–293.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ho, V. T., Kong, D. T., Lee, C. H., Dubreuil, P., & Forest, J. (2018). Promoting harmonious work passion among unmotivated employees: A two-nation investigation of the compensatory function of cooperative psychological climate. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 106(6), 112–125.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hollander, E. P. (2009). Inclusive leadership: The essential leader-follower relationship. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jiang, Z., Hu, X., Wang, Z., & Jiang, X. (2019). Knowledge hiding as a barrier to thriving: The mediating role of psychological safety and moderating role of organizational cynicism. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 40(7), 800–818.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kanter, R. M. (1988). When a thousand flowers bloom: Structural, collective, and social conditions for innovation in organizations. In B. M. Staw & L. L. Cummings (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior (pp. 169–212). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kirkman, B. L., Chen, G., Farh, J. L., Chen, Z. X., & Lowe, K. B. (2009). Individual power distance orientation and follower reactions to transformational leaders: A cross-level, cross-cultural examination. Academy of Management Journal, 52(4), 744–764.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kwan, H. K., Zhang, X., Liu, J., & Lee, C. (2018). Workplace ostracism and employee creativity: An integrative approach incorporating pragmatic and engagement roles. Journal of Applied Psychology, 103(12), 1358–1366.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Langfred, C. W., & Moye, N. (2014). Does conflict help or hinder creativity in teams? An examination of conflict’s effects on creative processes and creative outcomes. International Journal of Business & Management, 9(6), 30–41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lavigne, G. L., Forest, J., & Crevier-Braud, L. (2012). Passion at work and burnout: A two-study test of the mediating role of flow experiences. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 21(4), 518–546.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, Y., Li, N., Guo, J. Z., Li, J. Y., & Harris, T. B. (2018). A network view of advice-giving and individual creativity in teams: A brokerage-driven, socially perpetuated phenomenon. Academy of Management Journal, 61(6), 2210–2229.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, D., Chen, X. P., & Yao, X. (2011). From autonomy to creativity: a multilevel investigation of the mediating role of harmonious passion. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(2), 294–309.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lian, H., Ferris, D. L., & Brown, D. J. (2012). Does power distance exacerbate or mitigate the effects of abusive supervision? It depends on the outcome. Journal of Applied Psychology, 97(1), 107–123.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Liao, H., Liu, D., & Loi, R. (2010). Looking at both sides of the social exchange coin: A social cognitive perspective on the joint effects of relationship quality and differentiation on creativity. Academy of Management Journal, 53(5), 1090–1109.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Markus, H. R., & Kitayama, S. (1991). Culture and self: Implications for cognition, emotion and motivation. Psychological Review, 98(2), 224–253.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCrae, R. R. (1987). Creativity, divergent thinking, and openness to experience. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 52(6), 1258–1265.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ng, T. W. H., & Feldman, D. C. (2012). A comparison of self-ratings and non-self-report measures of employee creativity. Human Relations, 65, 1021–1047.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Offerman, L. R., & Basford, T. E. (2014). Best practices and the changing role of human resources. In B. M. Ferdman & B. R. Deane (Eds.), Diversity at work: The practice of inclusion (pp. 229–259). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perry-Smith, J. E. (2006). Social yet creative: The role of social relationships in facilitating individual creativity. Academy of Management Journal, 49(1), 85–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pratt, M. G., & Ashforth, B. E. (2003). Fostering meaningfulness in working and at work. In K. S. Cameron, J. E. Dutton, & R. E. Quinn (Eds.), Positive organizational scholarship (pp. 309–327). San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.

    Google Scholar 

  • Randel, A. E., Galvin, B. M., Shore, L. M., Ehrhart, K. H., Chung, B. G., Dean, M. A., & Kedharnath, U. (2018). Inclusive leadership: Realizing positive outcomes through belongingness and being valued for uniqueness. Human Resource Management Review, 28(2), 190–203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rego, A., Sousa, F., Marques, C., & Cunha, M. P. E. (2012). Retail employees’ self-efficacy and hope predicting their positive affect and creativity. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 21(6), 923–945.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shalley, C., & Zhou, J. (2008). Organizational creativity research: A historical overview. In J. Zhou & C. Shalley (Eds.), Handbook of organizational creativity (pp. 3–31). New York: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shalley, C. E., & Perry-Smith, J. E. (2001). Effects of social psychological factors on creative performance: The role of informational and controlling expected evaluation and modeling experience. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 84(1), 1–22.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shalley, C. E., Zhou, J., & Oldham, G. R. (2004). The effects of personal and contextual characteristics on creativity: Where should we go from here? Journal of Management, 30(6), 933–958.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shore, L. M., Randel, A. E., Chung, B. G., Dean, M. A., Ehrhart, K. H., & Singh, G. (2011). Inclusion and diversity in work groups: A review and model for future research. Journal of Management, 37(4), 1262–1289.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shore, L. M., Cleveland, J. N., & Sanchez, D. (2018). Inclusive workplaces: A review and model. Human Resource Management Review, 28(2), 176–189.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sijbom, R. B. L., Anseel, F., Crommelinck, M., De Beuckelaer, A., & De Stobbeleir, K. E. M. (2018). Why seeking feedback from diverse sources may not be sufficient for stimulating creativity: The role of performance dynamism and creative time pressure. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 39(5), 355–368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silvia, P. J., Kaufman, J. C., Reiter-Palmon, R., & Wigert, B. (2011). Cantankerous creativity: Honesty–humility, agreeableness, and the hexaco structure of creative achievement. Personality & Individual Differences, 51(5), 687–689.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spreitzer, G. M. (1996). Social structural characteristics of psychological empowerment. Academy of Management Journal, 39(2), 483–504.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spurlin, J. E., Dansereau, D. F., Larson, C. O., & Brooks, L. W. (1984). Cooperative learning strategies in processing descriptive text: Effects of role activity level of the learner. Cognition and Instruction, 1(4), 451–463.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang, N., Jiang, Y., Chen, C., Zhou, Z., Chen, C. C., & Yu, Z. (2015). Inclusion and inclusion management in the Chinese context: An exploratory study. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 26(6), 856–874.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thorgren, S., & Wincent, J. (2013). Passion and role opportunity search: Interfering effects of conflicts and overloads. International Journal of Stress Management, 20(1), 20–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vallerand, R. J. (2015). The psychology of passion: A dualistic model. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Vallerand, R. J., & Houlfort, N. (2003). Passion at work: Toward a new conceptualization. In D. Skarlicki, S. Gilliland, & D. Steiner (Eds.), Social issues in management (Vol. 3, pp. 175–204). Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vallerand, R. J., Blanchard, C., Mageau, G. A., Koestner, R., Ratelle, C., Léonard, M., & Marsolais, J. (2003). Les passions de l'âme: On obsessive and harmonious passion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 756–767.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Welbourne, T. M., & Erez, J. A. (1998). The role-based performance scale: Validity analysis of a theory-based measure. The Academy of Management Journal, 41(5), 540–555.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ye, Q., Wang, D., & Guo, W. (2019). Inclusive leadership and team innovation: The role of team voice and performance pressure. European Management Journal, 37(4), 468–480.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, X., & Bartol, K. M. (2010). Linking empowering leadership and employee creativity: The influence of psychological empowerment, intrinsic motivation, and creative process engagement. Academy of Management Journal, 53(1), 107–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ye, Q. Y., Wang, D. X., & Li, X. (2018). Promoting employees’ learning from errors by inclusive leadership: Do positive mood and gender matter? Baltic Journal of Management, 13(1), 125–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

This research was supported by the grants funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC, Project ID: 71671290).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Business Administration, Nanjing University of Finance and Economics, No. 3 Wenyuan Road, Xianlin College Town, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, China

    Dongdong Wang

  2. Renmin Business School, Renmin University of China, No. 59 Zhongguancun Road, Beijing, 100872, China

    Zhichao Qian & Linyi Ouyang

Authors
  1. Dongdong Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Zhichao Qian
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Linyi Ouyang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zhichao Qian.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Wang, D., Qian, Z. & Ouyang, L. ‘One glories, all glory’: role of inclusiveness behaviour in creativity. Curr Psychol 41, 8449–8460 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-01289-9

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-01289-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation