Leader humility and employees' creative performance: the role of intrinsic motivation and work engagement

Haiou Liu; Syed Jameel Ahmed; Muhammad Adeel Anjum; Azalim Mina

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1278755

Leader humility and employees' creative performance: the role of intrinsic motivation and work engagement

Front Psychol. 2024 Jan 19:15:1278755. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1278755. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Haiou Liu¹, Syed Jameel Ahmed¹, Muhammad Adeel Anjum², Azalim Mina¹

Affiliations

¹ Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, Hebei, China.
² Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences, Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan.

Abstract

Drawing on the job demand-resource (JD-R) model and self-determination theory (SDT), this study examines the relationship between humble leadership and employees' creative performance, taking into account the sequential mediating role of intrinsic motivation and work engagement. The sequential mediation model was tested using two-wave questionnaire data collected from employees and their supervisors (n = 350) in the telecommunication sector of Pakistan. Data were processed and examined using SPSS and AMOS. The results revealed significant positive relationships among all variables. Further, it was found that intrinsic motivation and work engagement sequentially but partially mediated the positive relationship between humble leadership and creative performance. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed at the end.

Keywords: creative performance; humble leadership; intrinsic motivation; mediation; work engagement.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This research was supported by the Project of National Social Science Foundation of China (21BTQ081).