Although many studies have examined creativity in organizational settings, little research attention has been given to the impact of leader behavior on subordinate creativity. To address this issue, current models of creative performance were used to identify three kinds of leader behavior that might influence subordinate creativity including problem construction emphasis, motivational goal orientation, and feelings of self-efficacy. Subsequently, these leader behaviors were manipulated as subordinates performed a task requiring the development of a marketing strategy. The quality and originality of the resulting strategies was then evaluated. It was found that leader behaviors contributing to problem constructions and feelings of self-efficacy led to higher subordinate creativity. The implications of these findings for understanding creative performance were then considered along with some potential practical applications. |