Employees' creative deviance in response to digitalization and knowledge: the mediating role of employees’ Paradox mindset

Advancements in digital technology have enabled organizations to efficiently handle various work tasks and processes through modern technological solutions. Bringing about organizational change is associated with many challenges. Thus, this study examines how employees engage in creative deviance to face the stress of digital tension. This study also examines the intermediate role of the paradox mindset. Paradox theory was used to examine all of the relationships in the study. The study model was analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) in Amos. Results of an online survey with 241 employees in the communication and information technology sector in Saudi Arabia revealed that employees engage in creative deviance as a response to digitalization represented in digital leadership. Additionally, paradox mindset functions as an intermediary variable in the relationship between digital leadership and creative deviance. These findings provide valuable insights into tension management within the organizational context. They also broaden the understanding of the paradox theory through its application to employees’ behaviors in times of tension.