Does job boredom benefit creativity? A cross-domain process through leisure crafting

Purpose The job design literature recommends various ways to enrich jobs. However, some jobs cannot be redesigned, and employees inevitably experience job boredom. Drawing on a cross-domain perspective based on self-determination theory of motivation and conservation of resource theory, we propose a theoretical model that specifies how and when job boredom can benefit employees by promoting their innovativeness. Design/methodology/approach We test our theoretical propositions by analyzing multi-wave data collected from 389 employees in Taiwan. Findings Results show that despite its direct negative effect on creativity, job boredom is positively related to leisure crafting in the personal life domain, which is a positive predictor of employee creativity. The positive indirect effect of job boredom on creativity through leisure crafting is strengthened by job routinization, which conserves employee resources during work hours. Originality/value In this study, we specify when job boredom benefits and hinders creativity, hence expanding the existing knowledge regarding the role of job boredom in the workplace. Our analysis offers new theoretical insights by theorizing and demonstrating the cross-domain flow of resources from the work domain to the non-work leisure domain and then back to the work behaviours of employees in promoting workplace innovativeness.