The study aims to examines how common prosperity theory (CPT) and knowledge boundary theory (KBT) as a conceptual lens shows inclusive workplace climates and IT support for knowledge sharing (ITKS) lead employee creativity (EC) through the serial mediation of boundary-spanning behaviour (BSB) and T-shaped skills (TSS).
The study uses a cross-sectional, survey-based quantitative approach, drawing on data collected from employees within knowledge-intensive sectors. To test the proposed serial mediation model, structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyse the sequential influence of BSB and TSS. The measurement of each core construct was accomplished using multi-item scales with established histories of validity and reliability in prior research.
The analysis of the data reveals that a climate for inclusion significantly predicts BSB and TSS, which sequentially enhance EC. However, the direct link between ITKS and creativity was not supported. The finding suggests that technology alone cannot raise creative equity without a socially inclusive foundation. IT systems must operate within climates that ensure fairness, psychological safety and equitable participation where the conditions that empower employees to span boundaries, integrate knowledge and collectively transform access into innovation.
This study contributes by integrating CPT and KBT to explain EC. It reveals how BSB and TSS sequentially transform inclusive climates and knowledge-sharing infrastructures into creative outcomes. The findings advance knowledge-management research by demonstrating that creativity emerges through equitable participation, cross-boundary knowledge exchange and integrative capability development rather than technology or inclusion alone.
