Contextualizing the effects of job complexity on creativity and task performance: Extending job design theory with social and contextual contingencies

The dynamic nature of work underscores the necessity of reassessing the effect of job design by considering the role of employee proactive behaviour and distinct work contexts. This study identifies creativity as a critical proactive behaviour that differentially explains the effect of job complexity on task performance across varying levels of growth need strength ( GNS ), supervisor support for creativity ( SSC ), and task interdependence. Our analysis supports the mediating role of creativity in the relationship between job complexity and task performance. The tests of conditional indirect effects show that the moderating role of GNS is positive only when task interdependence is low. By contrast, SSC positively moderates the effect of job complexity only when task interdependence is high. These findings suggest the necessity of considering task interdependence in applying job design theory to explain the proactive behaviour and task performance of employees in emerging forms of work. Practitioner points This study shows that creativity explains how job complexity affects task performance. Growth need strength accentuates the effect of job complexity on employee creativity and performance only when task interdependence is low. Supervisor support for creativity positively moderates the effect of job complexity on employee creativity and performance only when task interdependence is high.