Impact of psychopathy on employee creativity via work engagement and negative socioemotional behavior in public health sector

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of psychopathy on employees’ creativity through the mediating role of work engagement and negative socioemotional behavior (NSEB). It also attempts to investigate the moderating effect of abusive supervision on the relationship between psychopathy and work engagement, psychopathy and NSEB. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected at two-time intervals with a time-lag of three months. The final sample comprised of 267 public sector paramedical staff and supervisors in different hospitals from the southern provinces of China. Findings The study results show that individuals with a high level of psychopathic tendencies show a higher NSEB. Moreover, abusive supervision simulates negative social and emotional behaviors of those employees with psychopathic tendencies, which inhibit the emergence of novel and useful ideas. Originality/value This study is distinctive from earlier studies by presenting novel findings that employees with psychopathic tendencies are reactive to abusive supervision. Additionally, this study presents valuable implications and future research directions.