The Impact of Facades of Conformity on Individual Creativity: The Critical Role of Emotional Exhaustion and Organizational Political Climate

Abstract

The business environment is complex and changeable, which posed challenges for leaders to focus on improving individual creativity. Drawing on the conservation of resources theory, this study investigated the negative impact of facades of conformity on individual creativity by focusing on the mediating role of emotional exhaustion and the moderating role of organizational political climate. The data were collected from 335 employees of different industries in Guangdong, Guangxi, Jiangxi and other regions in China. Results indicate that (1) facades of conformity has a significantly negative impact on individual creativity; (2) there is a mediation of emotional exhaustion in the relationship between facades of conformity and individual creativity; and (3) organizational political climate significantly moderate the relationships between facades of conformity and emotional exhaustion and the mediating effect of emotional exhaustion. This study opens up a new perspective for the study of individual creativity and provides theoretical and practical basis for the effective promotion of individual creativity by organizational managers.