The impact of high involvement work systems on nurses team creative performance in the public service industry of Pakistan

The public service industry is capturing greater concentration and contributing to many countries' economic development. However, the public service industry, especially in hospitals, faces issues regarding human resource management and creative performance. Considering the lack of studies, this study seeks to examine the relationship between high-involvement work systems (HIWS) and nurses' team creative performance (TCP) in the public service industry of Pakistan. Moreover, the moderating role of work demand has also been studied by introducing cognitive workload theory in the nurse's TCP context. This study employs a quantitative research approach and survey design. Data were collected from 432 employees in public hospitals in Pakistan through a structured questionnaire. Except for personal information, items in the questionnaire were drawn from established scales used in previous studies. The present study used AMOS and SPSS (MODPROBE) to analyze the measurement and structural models. Results indicate a significant positive association between HIWSs, including power, information, and reward, with nurses' TCP. However, an insignificant positive relationship was found between knowledge and the nurse's TCP. Moreover, workload (WL) and well-being (WB) negatively moderate the relationship between reward, information, and knowledge with nurses' TCP. Results also provide evidence of cognitive workload theory (CWT) in this study. Considering the results, it is mandatorily recommended to emphasize more on the workload in the hospital industry. HIWSs should be promoted to increase nurses' TCP. The study provides practical and effective guidance for hospitals to adopt HIWS that promotes innovation and creativity. This will improve team performance and contribute to broader sustainable development goals.