Searching for sport employee creativity: a mixed-methods exploration

ABSTRACT

Research Question: The purpose of this study was to explore and develop pathways to sport employee creativity. Currently, the literature is devoid of content regarding sport employee creativity, which is concerning given the benefits of creativity for employees and organizations. We utilized both quantitative and qualitative methods to evaluate how authentic leadership, emotional intelligence, and job engagement cultivate creativity.

Research Methods: A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was used to examine sport employee creativity. Within this design, we first conducted a quantitative analysis using structural equation modeling (N = 308). Then we applied a qualitative analysis by way of semi-structured interviews (N = 12) to develop inferences about the findings from the quantitative strand. All participants worked in the United States of America.

Results and Findings: The results indicated that authentic leadership diminished sport employees’ creative behaviors, but emotional intelligence independently predicted both job engagement and creative behaviors. Job engagement was also found to partially mediate the relationship between emotional intelligence and creative behaviors. The qualitative strand provided rationale for the results including the value of emotional intelligence for sport employees and how constant personnel changes, perceived fakeness, and bureaucracies and micromanagement detracted from authentic leadership’s positive influences.

Implications: Creativity was found to be a valued concept in sport organizations, and the inferences gained from the study can support creativity’s development. Also, sport organizations might consider altering their organizational structure if they desire to promote creativity in their workplaces.

KEYWORDS:

• Leadership
• emotions
• organizational behavior
• engagement
• sequential explanatory

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).