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Learning goal orientation and creative performance: The differential mediating roles of challenge and enjoyment intrinsic motivations

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Abstract

We develop a theoretical model to account for the effect of learning goal orientation on creative performance by distinguishing two dimensions of intrinsic motivation as mediators. Challenge intrinsic motivation is concerned with the interest in and excitement of solving problems and tackling complex tasks, whereas enjoyment intrinsic motivation is concerned with the enjoyment of task activities for self-expression and self-entertainment. Results from a sample of 189 Chinese employees support this model and show that learning goal orientation had significant positive relationships with both dimensions of intrinsic motivation, but only challenge intrinsic motivation was significantly related to creative performance and mediated the positive relationship between learning goal orientation and creative performance. As predicted, intellectual stimulation, a dimension of transformational leadership, showed a moderating effect, such that learning goal orientation was less strongly related to challenge intrinsic motivation when intellectual stimulation was high. In addition, a moderated mediation effect was found, such that the mediating effect of challenge intrinsic motivation for the relationship between learning goal orientation and creative performance was weaker when intellectual stimulation was high. No such moderation effect was found for enjoyment intrinsic motivation, providing further support for the differential roles of these two dimensions of intrinsic motivation.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by Natural Science Foundation of China Grants (71121001, 70972024, and 70890081) and Ministry of Education of China Grants (20090002110037 and 06JJD630013) awarded to Guoquan Chen.

A short version of this article was published in the Best Paper Proceedings of the 2012 Academy of Management Meeting.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong

    Kwok Leung

  2. Department of Management, Lingnan University, 8 Castle Peak Road, Tuen Mun, New Territories, Hong Kong

    Tingting Chen

  3. The School of Economics & Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China

    Guoquan Chen

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  1. Kwok Leung
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Correspondence to Tingting Chen.

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Leung, K., Chen, T. & Chen, G. Learning goal orientation and creative performance: The differential mediating roles of challenge and enjoyment intrinsic motivations. Asia Pac J Manag 31, 811–834 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-013-9367-3

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