AUTHOR=Tian Xizhou , Peng Xiqiang , Peng Xiaoping 

TITLE=Influence of Prosocial Motivation on Employee Creativity: The Moderating Role of Regulatory Focus and the Mediating Role of Knowledge Sharing

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.704630

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2021.704630

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=Stimulating and improving employees’ creativity is both theoretically and practically important. The relationship between prosocial motivation and creativity has gradually gained attention in recent years, but in the context of controlling for intrinsic motivation, the influence process and results between the two is not yet clear. Based on the motivated information processing model, componential theory of creativity, and regulatory focus theory, this study analyzed the mediating role of knowledge sharing and the moderating role of regulatory focus in the relationship between prosocial motivation and employees’ creativity. We used the PROCESS program and the bootstrap method to test the theoretical hypotheses. A survey of 320 Chinese employees revealed that, under the condition of controlling for intrinsic motivation, employees’ prosocial motivation is positively related to creativity, which is partially mediated by knowledge sharing. Further, regulatory focus negatively moderates the correlation between prosocial motivation and knowledge sharing. Specifically, the higher the prevention focus, the weaker the effect of prosocial motivation on knowledge sharing. Contrary to the hypothesis, promotion focus also played a negative moderating role. The results revealed the mechanism and boundary conditions of prosocial motivation on creativity. This study expands the research on prosocial motivation and provides guidance on how managers can enhance employees’ creativity.