The Moderating Role of Behavioral Controls in the Relationship between Incivility and Creativity

Abstract

ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to analyze the (moderating) role of behavioral controls (BCs) in the relationship between incivility and creativity. This study fills a research gap by investigating how management controls can affect the relationship between incivility and individual creativity. Given that unpleasant interactions in the organizational environment hinder the proliferation and execution of ideas, it is up to organizations to provide environments that stimulate creativity, which is naturally achieved with the presence of controls. The findings indicate that top managers should pay close attention to the BCs used, as they can circumvent the negative effects of incivility and generate a positive effect on middle managers’ creativity. A survey was conducted with middle managers from 86 companies listed on the B3 S.A. - Brasil, Bolsa, Balcão (B3). To test the hypotheses, the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique was used and, as an additional analysis, the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) technique. The results show that supervisor and coworker incivility positively influence the instigated incivility of managers. In turn, instigated incivility negatively influences the creativity of these managers. To mitigate these effects, the results suggest that organizations should use BCs to moderate the effects of instigated incivility on managers’ creativity. The conclusion is that BCs absorb and circumvent the negative effects of instigated incivility, favoring the proliferation of creativity. Thus, theoretical contributions on the role of management controls in the context of incivility and creativity emerge, as well as practical contributions on how organizations can use controls to circumvent incivility and make better use of individuals’ creativity.