The role of supervisor knowledge sharing behavior in stimulating subordinate creativity

Abstract

Purpose: Knowledge sharing is critical for employee creative performance. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of supervisor knowledge sharing behavior on subordinate creativity. Design/methodology/approach: This study collected data by paper-based surveys at information technology organizations in southern Vietnam (N = 339). The hypotheses were tested by conducting a hierarchical regression analysis. Findings: The results showed that supervisor knowledge sharing behavior positively affected subordinates’ creative performance. Further, the positive association between supervisor knowledge sharing behavior and subordinate creativity was reinforced by subordinate absorptive capacity and partially mediated by subordinate task-efficacy and subordinate domain knowledge. Practical implications: Companies should choose individuals who frequently share their knowledge with others when staffing supervisory positions. Moreover, companies should encourage supervisors as well as give supervisors a substantial amount of time and opportunities to share their knowledge with their subordinates. Further, companies should encourage employees to proactively gain valuable knowledge shared by their supervisors. Finally, companies should provide employees with job training programs as well as encourage them to join these programs to improve their absorptive capacity. Originality/value: This is one of the first papers to investigate whether supervisors can stimulate their subordinate creativity by sharing explicit and tacit knowledge. This study also contributes to the creativity literature by examining the mediating role of subordinate task-efficacy and subordinate domain knowledge and the moderating effect of subordinate absorptive capacity.