Supervisor negative feedback and employee creativity: the role of task crafting and prosocial motivation

Purpose This study aims to analyze the underlying mechanism of task crafting in linking supervisor negative feedback and employee creativity. Moreover, this study investigates the role of prosocial motivation, which can be viewed as a moderator in the unpredictable correlation between supervisor negative feedback and employee creativity. Design/methodology/approach The data was collected from 327 employees working at travel agencies and hotel businesses in Vietnam. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data and evaluate the study hypotheses. Findings The findings confirm the positive effect of supervisor negative feedback and employee creativity, especially mediated through task crafting. In addition, prosocial motivation moderates the significant relationship between supervisor negative feedback and employee creativity. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study provides one of the earliest insights into how task crafting bridges supervisor negative feedback and employee creativity. This study provides new insights into how prosocial motivation supports the connection between supervisor behavior and employee creative performance.