Positive Gossip Fuels Creativity: The Roles of Cognitive Crafting and Risk Taking

Area of Science:

• Organizational Behavior
• Social Psychology
• Creativity Studies

Background:

• Workplace gossip is often perceived negatively, but positive gossip can have beneficial effects.
• Understanding the psychological mechanisms linking positive gossip to creativity is crucial for organizational development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the indirect effect of perceived positive workplace gossip on employee creativity.
• To examine the mediating roles of promotion-oriented cognitive crafting and risk-taking behavior.
• To explore the moderating effect of internal locus of control on this process.

Main Methods:

• A moderated mediation model was constructed based on regulatory focus theory and internal locus of control theory.
• Four-wave, two-source survey data were collected from 463 employees.
• Statistical analyses were performed to test the proposed model.

Main Results:

• Perceived positive gossip significantly stimulates promotion-oriented cognitive crafting.
• Promotion-oriented cognitive crafting, in turn, promotes risk-taking behavior, ultimately enhancing creativity.
• Internal locus of control moderates the mechanism, with individuals high in this trait showing stronger positive responses.

Conclusions:

• Positive workplace gossip can be a catalyst for creativity through cognitive crafting and risk-taking.
• Internal locus of control strengthens the positive impact of gossip on employee creativity.
• Organizations can leverage positive gossip and individual differences to foster creativity.