DefinePK

Research Objective

To investigate the obstructive role of negative work team gossip in team creativity, unraveling a sequential mediation process involving emotional exhaustion and employee silence in Pakistan's IT sector.

Methodology

A questionnaire-based approach was used to gather time-lagged data from 307 employees across seven IT sector companies in Islamabad. Scales for work team gossip, emotional exhaustion, employee silence, and team creativity were adapted from previous research. Data collection was conducted in two waves to mitigate common method bias.

Methodology Flowchart

                        graph TD
    A["Data Collection Two Waves"] --> B["Measure Work Team Gossip & Team Creativity - T1"];
    B --> C["Measure Emotional Exhaustion & Employee Silence - T2"];
    C --> D["Data Analysis"];
    D --> E["Hypothesis Testing"];
    E --> F["Conclusion on Gossip-Creativity Link"];                    

Discussion

The study confirms that negative work team gossip negatively impacts team creativity, with emotional exhaustion and employee silence acting as significant mediators. This research extends previous work by focusing on team-level impacts and a sequential mediation model, grounded in Conservation of Resources Theory.

Key Findings

Work team gossip directly impedes team creativity. It also indirectly affects team creativity through the sequential mediation of emotional exhaustion and employee silence. All four hypotheses were supported by the data.

Conclusion

Negative work team gossip is a significant obstacle to team creativity in the IT sector, operating both directly and indirectly through emotional exhaustion and employee silence. Addressing and mitigating workplace gossip is crucial for fostering innovation and a collaborative work culture.

Fact Check

* 307 usable responses were obtained from an initial distribution of 500 questionnaires in the first wave and 401 in the second wave, resulting in an overall usable response rate of 61%.
* The study was conducted in the IT sector of Pakistan, specifically in Islamabad.
* The research model posits a sequential mediation where work team gossip leads to emotional exhaustion, which in turn leads to employee silence, ultimately impacting team creativity.

Mind Map