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Introverts maintain creativity: A resource depletion model of negative workplace gossip

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Abstract

The present study investigates the relationship between negative workplace gossip, as perceived by the targets, and creativity by shedding light on the mediating role of emotional exhaustion and the moderating role of extroversion. The survey results from 451 employee-supervisor dyads in China indicate that targets who perceive negative workplace gossip tend to suffer emotional exhaustion, which in turn weakens their creativity. Additionally, extroversion strengthens the main effect of negative workplace gossip on emotional exhaustion and the mediating effect of emotional exhaustion on the association between negative workplace gossip and creativity. Our results offer new directions for studies into mistreatment, burnout, creativity, and personality.

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Notes

  1. All our results regarding hypotheses do not significantly differ with/without the control variables.

  2. We used the SPSS and Excel files provided by Edwards and Lambert (2007), which are available online at https://doi.org/10.1037/1082-989X.12.1.1.supp.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant nos. 71672036, 71672108, 71372005).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Business School, University of International Business and Economics, Beijing, 100029, People’s Republic of China

    Xiao-Yu Liu

  2. School of Economics and Management, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai, 200092, People’s Republic of China

    Ho Kwong Kwan

  3. Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

    Xiaomeng Zhang

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  1. Xiao-Yu Liu
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  2. Ho Kwong Kwan
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  3. Xiaomeng Zhang
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Correspondence to Ho Kwong Kwan.

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Liu, XY., Kwan, H.K. & Zhang, X. Introverts maintain creativity: A resource depletion model of negative workplace gossip. Asia Pac J Manag 37, 325–344 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-018-9595-7

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