When leader-member exchange promotes employee creativity

This study addresses the question of when Leader-member exchange (LMX) in the workplace fosters employee creativity. The study tested followers' organization-based self-esteem as moderator of relationship between LMX and follower creativity. Based on LMX and self-concept theory, we hypothesized that LMX would be positively related to follower creativity and this association would be moderated by followers' organization-based self-esteem. We used a sample of 206 employees nested in 68 teams from 3 high-tech enterprises in mainland China. The results showed that LMX was positively related to follower creativity. Furthermore, LMX related more strongly and positively to creativity for followers higher rather than lower in organization-based self-esteem.