Unleashing the mechanism between affect-based trust and employee creativity: a knowledge sharing perspective

Purpose Creativity has become essential for organizations to remain competitive. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the intervening role of knowledge sharing between affect-based trust and employee creativity. The study further investigates perceived organizational support as a conditional factor on the association between affect-based trust and employee creativity. Design/methodology/approach The study tackled the issue of common method variance by collecting data in dyads. Specifically, the study collected data from 368 employees and their supervisors working in various organizations in Pakistan through Google Forms in two waves. In the first wave, employees were approached on a convenience basis, whereas, in the second wave, data from their supervisors were collected. Findings Structural equation modeling was applied to test hypotheses. The study noted knowledge sharing as a mediator between affect-based trust and employee creativity. The study also noted that individuals with high perceptions of organizational support are more likely to strengthen the association between affect-based trust and knowledge sharing. Practical implications This study suggests management work on their employees’ affect-based trust-building. Employees who have relationships based on affect-based trust feel safe and are less afraid of being criticized for sharing their ideas and thoughts. This positively contributes to developing a cooperative environment which becomes the base for employee creativity. Originality/value Past studies have examined the association between general trust and employee creativity. To this backdrop, this study highlighted the importance of affect-based trust toward employee creativity. More specifically, drawing upon social exchange, this study is the first of its kind that examined the mediating role of knowledge sharing between affect-based trust and employee creativity, where perceived organizational support is examined as a conditional variable between affect-based trust and knowledge sharing.