The influence of multitasking on creative work involvement: a conservation of resources perspective

Abstract

PurposeBased on conservation of resources theory, this study explored the relationship between multitasking and creative work involvement through the mediation of emotional exhaustion, taking regulatory focus as a first-stage moderator.Design/methodology/approachBased on a three-wave and two-source survey among a sample of 418 employees and 116 leaders, this study conducted multilevel analyses to examine the conceptual model.FindingsThe results showed that multitasking was negatively associated with creative work involvement and that emotional exhaustion mediated the relationship between multitasking and creative work involvement. Furthermore, promotion focus and prevention focus moderated the relationship between multitasking and emotional exhaustion and the indirect relationship between multitasking and creative work involvement via emotional exhaustion.Practical implicationsOrganizations can promote creative work involvement through interventions that reduce employees' multitasking or emotional exhaustion. In addition, supervisors should be aware of the different responses to multitasking exhibited by employees with different regulatory focuses and could potentially assign multiple tasks to employees with either a high promotion focus or a low prevention focus.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature on multitasking and creative work involvement by exploring whether and how multitasking is related to creative work involvement.

How does organizational polychronicity relate to individual adaptive performance? A conservation of resources perspective

“…Scholars have also attempted to explain how organizational polychronicity is related to its consequences through COR theory. For example, Yang et al (2023) indicated that polychronicity consumes individuals' emotional resources and decreases their creativity. However, these studies have ignored the mediating role of time pressure, and most studies on time pressure have focused on its consequences (Prem et al, 2018;Song et al, 2023), especially on individual task performance (Prem et al, 2018).…”

“…First, we attempt to clarify the controversy between organizational polychronicity and individual performance (Wu et al, 2020), thereby responding to the call to explore how individual adaptive performance is generated (Park and Park, 2019) and how organizational polychronicity impacts individuals' performance (Wu et al, 2020;Franczak et al, 2024). Second, we examine time pressure as a mediator based on COR theory, thereby responding to calls for exploring the antecedents of time pressure (Eldor et al, 2017) and broadening the theoretical perspectives of organizational polychronicity research (Yang et al, 2023). Finally, we reveal important boundary conditions for the relationships between organizational polychronicity and its outcomes by identifying the moderating role of trait regulatory focus in the relationship between organizational polychronicity and time pressure, thereby contributing to the trait regulatory focus literature (Li et al, 2023).…”

“…Scholars have also attempted to explain how organizational polychronicity is related to its consequences through COR theory. For example, Yang et al. (2023) indicated that polychronicity consumes individuals' emotional resources and decreases their creativity.…”

“…Second, we examine time pressure as a mediator based on COR theory, thereby responding to calls for exploring the antecedents of time pressure (Eldor et al. , 2017) and broadening the theoretical perspectives of organizational polychronicity research (Yang et al. , 2023).…”