Sleep-deprived and emotionally exhausted: depleted resources as inhibitors of creativity at work

Purpose Within the theoretical frameworks of conservation of resources and job demands-resources (JD-R), the study aims to examine how sleep deficit could be negatively related to creativity at work by depleting critical resources of creativity. Design/methodology/approach The survey data were collected from 368 individuals nested in 40 teams at a call center. The authors conducted multilevel analysis to test the proposed hypotheses to account for the hierarchical nature of the data while simultaneously estimating the effect of predictors at different levels on individual-level outcomes and maintaining the predictors' level of analysis. Findings Through the data, the study presents how the depletion of resource, that is, emotional exhaustion, functions as a mediating mechanism that connects sleep deficit to creativity at work. Further, the study presents that higher job demands can worsen the negative effects of resource depletion on creativity at work because they further deplete resources needed for creative behaviors. Specifically, when sleep-deprived, those working in a high-task-interdependence climate are likely to experience emotional exhaustion more severely than do those in a low-task-interdependence climate. Also, the relationship between emotional exhaustion and creativity is more negative for managers than for non-managers because of managers' higher job demands. Practical implications By presenting sleep deficit-linked inhibitors of creativity at work, the authors highlight the importance of securing sufficient sleep and affective resources when designing jobs and HR practices in organizations. Originality/value This paper addresses the call for attention to examining the mechanisms through which sleep deficit affects employee creative behavior.