Who Responds Creatively to Role Conflict? Evidence for a Curvilinear Relationship Mediated by Cognitive Adjustment at Work and Moderated by Mindfulness

This study aims to clarify to what extent, how and under what conditions role conflict is positively related to employee creativity. Drawing on activation theory and conservation of resources theory, we hypothesized an inverted U-shaped relationship between role conflict and creativity in which the relationship is stronger and positive at intermediate levels of role conflict. Additionally, we predicted that this curvilinear path would be mediated by cognitive adjustment at work and moderated by mindfulness. To test our hypotheses, we conducted two independent studies—a cross-sectional study with 123 employees from an Italian firm and a time-lagged research with 320 employees from various UK firms. Consistent with our predictions, polynomial regression analysis results provided evidence for an inverted U-shaped relationship between role conflict and creativity and for the mediating role of cognitive adjustment at work. Moreover, when mindfulness was high (versus low), intermediate levels of role conflict were associated with increased cognitive adjustment at work and creativity. Our findings enhance current understanding of the conditions under which different levels of role conflict boost or impair creativity at work and offer new insights into how employee can maintain an optimal level of creativity despite conflicting role demands. This is the first study to document a non-linear and indirect relationship between role conflict and employee creativity, as well as to identify mindfulness as a boundary condition shaping the creativity-enhancing effects of role conflict.