Innovative cognitive style, proactive personality and employee creativity: The moderating effects of work discretion and time pressure

This paper aims to examine the influence of innovative cognitive style, proactive personality and working conditions on employee creativity by taking an interactional perspective. Innovative cognitive style refers to individual´s idiosyncrasy of thinking about and dealing with original idea, while proactive personality conceptualizes individual´s strategic opportunity-seeking behaviors toward exploring novelty. Work discretion and time pressure, two critical contextual factors suggested to impact employee creativity in organizational literature, may also influence how individuals convert their innovative cognitive style and proactive personality into creativity. In an attempt to extend current understanding of creativity in organizations, this study examines the relationship between individual characteristics (innovativeness and proactiveness) and employee creativity, and how the relationship is moderated by work discretion and time pressure.