Balancing Tensions for Innovation: How Paradoxical Leadership Drives Employee Creativity Through Paradoxical Thinking and Workplace Anxiety
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Purpose- The proposed study investigates the effect of paradoxical leadership (PL) and employee creativity (EC) in healthcare organizations. It also considers the moderating role of the paradoxical thinking (PT) and moderating role of the workplace anxiety (WA) in the leadership-creativity relationship. Design/methodology/approach - 388 healthcare workers in hospitals located in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region were used to gather data which comprised of doctors, nurses, paramedics, and administrators. Validated multi-item scales to measure the constructs were used, and simple random sampling technique was utilized. The SPSS software was used to analyze responses based on regression and bootstrapping procedures to test the mediation and moderation effects. Findings- Results shows paradoxical leadership has significantly influence employee creativity. Paradoxical thinking mediate the link between paradoxical leadership and employee creativity. Additionally, workplace anxiety moderate the link between paradoxical leadership and employee creativity. Practical implications- The results indicate that medical administrators should use training initiatives to develop paradoxical leadership and introduce organizational policies that minimize anxiety and inspire psychological security. Healthcare reforms need to combine leadership development with mental health support to restructure tensions at the workplace towards innovation opportunities. Originality/value- The current research not only builds on paradox theory and the AMO model but also confirms them empirically by establishing paradoxical thinking as a mediator and anxiety at work as a moderator in the healthcare industry. It also offers innovative ideas into the interaction between the cognitive and emotional mechanisms to form creativity, and has not only theoretical but also practical implications concerning healthcare organizations that have to act in a paradox-rich setting. Key Words: Paradoxical Leadership, Employee Creativity, Paradoxical Thinking, Healthcare Organizations, Workplace Anxiety.
Language: English
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7219941237