When and How does Leader Feedback Promote Employee Creative Problem-solving Behavior? A Three-way Interaction Model of Employee Feedback Acceptance and Task Complexity

Purpose: This paper investigates the effects of leader feedback on employee creative problem-solving behavior. It also explores the relevant conditions that maximize the above relationship from the psychological trait and task nature perspectives. Specifically we examine how employee feedback acceptance and task complexity moderate the relationship between leader’s feedback behavior on follower creative problem-solving behavior. Finally the three-way interaction among leader’s feedback behavior, employee feedback acceptance and task complexity is analyzed for the best conditions to maximize the positive effect of leader’s feedback on creative problem solving behavior.Methods: This paper used a cross-sectional design with questionnaires administered to 411 employees working in Korean manufacturing and service firms. It applied a hierarchical regression analysis to test the hypothesized relationships including three-way interaction effect among leader’s feedback behavior, follower feedback acceptance and task complexity on follower creative problem-solving behavior.Results: The empirical results of the paper indicated that the leader feedback behavior had enhanced employee creative problem-solving behavior. It was also found that follower feedback acceptance and task complexity positively moderated the relationship between leader’s feedback and follower problem solving behavior. In addition, the test of three-way interaction effects also revealed that the higher the levels of both employee feedback acceptance and task complexity, the greater the positive effect of leader feedback behavior on employee creative problem solving behavior.Conclusion: This paper contributes to the leadership and creativity literatures by identifying the role of leader’s behavior enhancing employee creative problem-solving behavior and the specific conditions strengthening the positive effect of leader feedback behavior on employee creative problem-solving behavior.