Determinants of Employee Creativity: The Mediating Role of Employee Happiness

Abstract

Purpose - The current study integrated number of research fields to develop and test a model on the determinants of employees’ happiness and creativity. Hypothesizing that quality of work life, perceived training intensity and job security affect employees’ happiness and creativity in in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Public sector. Design - The study uses survey data from 120 employees from public sector companies in United Arab Emirates (UAE). Based on an extensive literature review, eight hypotheses were formulated and explored. These were tested through multiple regression analysis using smart PLS Partial Least Squares. Findings – Work life balance, perceived training intensity and job security showed no significant relationship. However, the relationships only exist through the feeling of happiness. Research limitation – The sample is from a single sector (public) in a single country. Future research would benefit from examining the above relationships in privet sector in the UAE. It could also explore the validity of these relationships in the public sector of other countries in the Middle East and Gulf regions. Originality/value –few studies have adequately examined their determinants particularly in UAE. Although research examining the employee creativity in public sector is limited, it is clear that public sector stands to gain from creative employees because employee creativity and innovation will contribute to the attainment of organizational goals. KEY WORDS-Employee creativity, Employee happiness, Job security, Training, Work-life balance, Human resources, UAE, Public sector Paper Type –Research paper