Enhancing creative work behaviour in higher education institutions amidst the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of self-efficacy

Purpose The contemporary changes in learning institutions, such as new teaching methods like online teaching that emerged as a result of the corona virus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, require higher education institutions to activate employee creative behaviour to thrive. The COVID-19 pandemic serves as a disruptor and catalyst for traditional teaching methods in universities, leading to the introduction of new teaching methods, which underscores the urgency of creativity research to generate new ideas for work execution. Despite the dynamic education environment that has resulted in new work practices that necessitate creativity, little empirical research stimulating creativity in higher institutions of learning following a pandemic has been done. This research seeks to determine the role of self-efficacy in enhancing creativity and the various types of creativity. Design/methodology/approach An explanatory research methodology was used to investigate the hypothetical influence of self-efficacy on creativity. Findings The findings of the study reveal that self-efficacy significantly enhances the different dimensions of creative behaviour. However, the magnitude of the influence varies significantly among the three categories of creative behaviour. The magnitude of influence of self-efficacy was highest on idea implementation, preceded by generation and championing of ideas. Research limitations/implications We collected data from employees in Uganda’s universities, which were public, and the application of the findings may be limited to public universities because of the difference in the work environment settings in private and public university settings, which may affect the efficacy of the employees. Given that the data were collected in a university setting, the results may be limited to universities. This research adopted a cross-sectional design and employees' efficacy and creative behaviour may change over time. The current study opens the ground for longitudinal research in a related field to establish the causal role of self-efficacy on individuals' creativity over time. Practical implications Organisations must enhance positive organisational behaviour like self-efficacy to enhance university employees' cognitive ability to manage uncertainty associated with creativity. While enhancing self-efficacy, organisations need to consider the strategic actions geared towards enhancing the required type of creative behaviour since findings reveal that the causal effect of self-efficacy significantly differs across the different types of creativity. Originality/value This research has both theoretical and empirical value. From an empirical perspective, this is a novel investigation to determine the direct effect of self-efficacy and the individual dimensions of creativity in a public university setting in a developing country like Uganda. By establishing the antecedent role of self-efficacy on creativity, the study provides new insights into how educational systems can maintain operational continuity and adaptability during unprecedented disruptions like the one of COVID-19. This research extends the applicability of social cognitive theory from a theoretical standpoint by affirming that the influence of personality characteristics on an individual (such as self-efficacy) varies with the type of creative behaviour. This is because the tasks involved in the various dimensions of creative behaviour are different and, as a result, are affected by self-efficacy in different ways.