Emotional Valence, Interdependence, and Job Autonomy as Predictors of Creativity Through Perspective-Taking: An Integrative Model

This study examines the underexplored intersection of emotional valence and perspective-taking in workplace creativity, and how job characteristics like interdependence and autonomy moderate these relationships. Participants (N = 307; 41% women) recruited through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk platform and employed across various U.S. companies completed an experimental study where they were randomly assigned to recall either positive or negative workplace relationships. Through this manipulation, the participants identified specific colleagues with whom they had direct working experience and reported their emotional valence toward these relationships before completing questionnaires on perspective-taking, creativity, autonomy, and interdependence. Integrating emotional valence and perspective-taking into a moderated mediation model yielded insights into how these variables shape creativity within organizations. The findings demonstrate that positive emotional states significantly enhance creativity through perspective-taking, especially in environments that promote collaboration and independent decision-making. This research broadens workplace dynamics by illuminating the roles of emotional and contextual factors in fostering creativity. It provides practical implications for organizations, recommending positive emotional climates and roles that balance interdependence with autonomy to maximize employee creativity. This study’s comprehensive approach provides a holistic understanding of conditions that foster creativity in organizational environments, expanding on existing frameworks. © 2025 by the authors.