Motivation and hindrance: the mixed blessing of paradoxical leader behaviour for workplace creativity in China

Drawing upon the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, this study tests an integrated theoretical framework in which paradoxical leader behaviour (PLB) is theorized to hinder and motivate employee creativity through role ambiguity and creative self-efficacy. The moderating effects of job complexity and cognitive flexibility on the above effects are also investigated. The 317 samples collected from the three-wave survey in China demonstrate that in the hindering process, PLB attenuates employee creativity via role ambiguity, and in the motivating process, PLB increases employee creativity via creative self-efficacy. Furthermore, cognitive flexibility and job complexity can magnify the positive impact of PLB on employee creativity via creative self-efficacy, while cognitive flexibility can buffer the negative impact of PLB on employee creativity via role ambiguity.