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The effect of activated resource-based faultlines on team creativity: mediating role of open communication and moderating role of humble leadership

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Abstract

To advance the understanding of the impacts of activated resource-based faultlines, this study developed a conceptual model to theorize whether, how, and when activated resource-based faultlines affect team creativity. Drawing on social information processing theory, we hypothesized that activated resource-based faultlines can suppress team creativity by inhibiting team open communication. We also introduced humble leadership into the theoretical model and proposed that humble leadership can moderate the relationship between activated resource-based faultlines and team open communication. On the basis of multisource and multiwave survey data collected from 70 teams, we found support for our hypothesized theoretical model. We verified that activated resource-based faultlines exert a significant and negative impact on team creativity, and the above relationship is mediated by team open communication. In addition, the result revealed that humble leadership attenuates the negative relationship between activated resource-based faultlines and team open communication. Finally, we discussed the theoretical contributions of our study and offer practical suggestions for avoiding the deleterious consequences of activated resource-based faultlines.

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Data availability statements

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to the data privacy concerns but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Funding

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation Project of China (71572140).

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  1. School of Management, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China

    Jin Yao & Xinmei Liu

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  1. Jin Yao
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Correspondence to Jin Yao.

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Yao, J., Liu, X. The effect of activated resource-based faultlines on team creativity: mediating role of open communication and moderating role of humble leadership. Curr Psychol 42, 13411–13423 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-02707-w

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