Does job creativity requirement improve service performance? A multilevel analysis of work stress and service environment

Based on the general presupposition that creativity is always good, insufficient attention has been paid to the negative side of creativity. In light of this issue, we examine the degree to which organizational requirements for employees to work creatively improves their service performance through the job stress that is induced by a requirement for job creativity. We used a multilevel approach on a sample of 305 full-time Chinese employees from 48 service organizations. Hierarchical linear modeling results indicate that a creativity requirement at work is positively related to the job stress induced by such a requirement, which in turn, is negatively related to employee service performance. The negative relationship between job stress and service performance is moderated by a service climate and a supportive coworker environment. A supportive coworker environment minimizes the negative effect of job stress on employee service performance, whereas a service climate accentuates this negative effect.