Leader mindfulness and employee creativity: The importance of leader–member exchange

The main objective of this study was to clarify the mechanisms through which leader mindfulness enhances employee creativity, and we proposed that leader–member exchange (LMX) would act as a mediator of this relationship. To test our hypotheses we conducted a survey with 329 subordinates and 51 supervisors employed at three large manufacturing companies in China. The results of structural equation modeling show that the association of leader mindfulness with employee creativity was positive, and that LMX partially mediated this link. This study provides useful insights in explaining the impact that leader mindfulness has on employee creativity by focusing on LMX as a mediator. Our findings indicate that organizations should take leader mindfulness into account, and that managerial interventions should be implemented to establish high-quality LMX relationship.