This study uses the job characteristics model theory to build a curvilinear relationship between perceived job complexity (PJC) and creative problem-solving. The mediating role of critical thinking among main effects is discussed. The influence of growth need strength on creative problem-solving through a mediating path and its moderating effect are also explored.
The survey collected data from 275 employees of Chinese enterprises over two periods.
The results reveal that PJC has an inverse U-shaped impact on creative problem-solving and critical thinking. Critical thinking improves employees’ creative problem-solving. And critical thinking partly mediates the main effect. Growth need strength moderates the relationship between PJC and critical thinking. Implications for managers are discussed.
The incremental and inhibition effect of PJC still wait for supplement and perfection by means of establishing the relationship with other variables and dissecting deeply in the future. And it may be required for us to choose and investigate additional mediating roles in order to expand upon the job characteristics-creative behavior link. At last, our study is arduous to reveal the causal relationship between the study variables in some ways, and only the correlation relationship between the variables is discussed. As a result, leader-and-subordinate paired data and multi-level analysis are the next focus of work.
Managers should utilize PJC effectively in daily operations and place greater emphasis on the inhibitory effect of PJC. When recruiting and selecting staff, managers can use definite assessment tools to gauge interviewees’ aptitude for critical thought and aim to select candidates with these skills. In the process of organizational training, the human resources department can strengthen the training of employees’ thinking mode, especially the cultivation of critical thinking, and managers are supposed to keep a watchful eye on the efficacy of growth, which needs strength peculiarly.
This study establishes an inverse U-shaped relationship between job complexity and creative problem-solving and provides a new theoretical explanation for the effects of both.
