Hope and positive affect mediating the authentic leadership and creativity relationship

The study analyzes how authentic leadership (AL) predicts employeesʹ creativity both directly and through the mediating role of employeesʹ positive affect and hope. Two hundred and three employees working in Portuguese retail organizations participate in the research. Employees report their hope and positive affective states, as well as the AL of their supervisors. Supervisors report the employeesʹ creativity. The main findings are: (a) AL predicts employeesʹ creativity, both directly and through the mediating role of employeesʹ hope; (b) AL also predicts employeesʹ positive affect, which in turn predicts employeesʹ hope and, thus, creativity. The study enriches the understanding of the processes through which AL improves employeesʹ creativity, and provides valuable insights for both scholars and practitioners. By promoting AL, and employeesʹ hope and positive affect, organizations may increase employeesʹ creative performance, creativity being an important path to organizational performance.