Purpose - This study aims to investigate how long commutes negatively affect employees’ creative deviance at work, exploring the mediating role that impaired work-life balance plays in linking commute to restricted creative deviance, as well as examining whether access to flexible work arrangements can alleviate commuting’s detrimental indirect effects.
Design/methodology/approach - This study employed a three-wave survey methodology conducted over monthly intervals with 246 participants in China's Pearl River Delta region. Rigorous screening ensured a demographically diverse sample.
Findings - Commuting time negatively affects creative deviance, both directly and indirectly through work-life balance. Flexible work arrangements mitigate the adverse effects of long commutes on work-life balance, subsequently weakening the indirect effect of commuting time on creative deviance through work-life balance.
Practical implications - A holistic approach is suggested for organizations aiming to foster a supportive and ethical work environment, which involves a combination of organizational policies, leadership practices, and individual actions to promote both creativity and employee welfare.
Originality/value - This research breaks new ground by identifying commuting time as a key factor influencing creative deviance in the workplace, mediated by work-life balance. It integrates transportation research with organizational behavior, applying an ethics of care perspective to challenge traditional paradigms. The study's interdisciplinary approach, bridging multiple fields, provides a novel, holistic view of how non-work factors impact workplace innovation.
Citation
Liu, X., Lin, Z., Li, X., & Liang, C. (online). Flexible paths to innovation: mitigating commuting’s impact on creative deviance. Journal of Managerial Psychology, https://doi.org/10.1108/JMP-11-2023-0722
