Workplace events and employee creativity: A multistudy field investigation

Abstract

Abstract A burgeoning body of research has examined the influence of stable attributes of individuals, teams, and organizations on employee creativity. Events, however, permeate the increasingly dynamic and uncertain business context. To extend the creativity literature, we draw on event system theory to examine whether, when, and how workplace events impact employee creativity. Our findings based on two time‐lagged field studies reveal that workplace event novelty and criticality interact to fuel employee improvisation and in turn, employee creativity. The positive relationship between workplace event novelty and employee improvisation is stronger when workplace events are more critical. Our research highlights the value of an event‐oriented theory‐building approach to investigate dynamic organizational phenomena.