Mechanisms underlying supervisor creativity-relevant skills and subordinate creativity

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to focus on exploring how supervisors with high creativity-relevant skills stimulate their subordinate creativity through subordinate creativity-relevant skills and creative role identity. Design/methodology/approach - This study analyzed the data gathered from 381 employees working in information technology (IT) organizations in Southern Vietnam using structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings - The results indicate that supervisor creativity-relevant skills did not directly influence subordinate creativity. However, subordinate creativity-relevant skills and creative role identity fully mediated this association. Practical implications - First, when staffing supervisory positions, organizations should consider individuals with a high level of creativity-relevant skills. Second, organizations should encourage supervisors to participate in training programs to develop knowledge and skills, in particular, creativity-relevant skills. Third, organizations should design a work environment that gives employees a substantial amount of time to interact with supervisors who have a high level of creativity-relevant skills. Finally, organizations should give supervisors opportunities for sharing their creativity-relevant skills with their subordinates. Originality/value - This research is one of the first efforts to investigate the crucial role of supervisor creativity-relevant skills in enhancing subordinate creativity. Moreover, this research seeks to examine subordinate creativity-relevant skills and creative role identity as mediating mechanisms linking supervisor creativity-relevant skills with subordinates' creative performance.