Influence of Leadership Styles on Employees’ Creativity in Crisis: Moderating Role of Routine Disruption

Abstract

This study examines how proactive and situational leadership styles influence employees’ creativity during crisis-induced lockdowns, with routine disruption as a moderating variable. Set in the information technology sector of Southern Punjab, Pakistan, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the research addresses the challenge leaders faced in maintaining employee creativity amid disrupted work routines. Grounded primarily in trait activation theory and supported by cognitive energetics theory, the study adopts a quantitative, correlational design. Data were collected through an online survey from 252 IT professionals who worked throughout the pandemic. The questionnaire measured proactive leadership, situational leadership, employee creativity, and routine disruption using established scales. Data were analysed using SPSS for descriptive statistics and SmartPLS for structural equation modelling. Results indicate that both proactive leadership (β = 0.101, p = 0.034) and situational leadership (β = 0.241, p = 0.001) have significant positive effects on employee creativity, with situational leadership exerting the stronger influence. However, routine disruption did not significantly moderate either relationship (p > 0.05), suggesting that employees’ creative performance remained largely unaffected by disruptions to their daily routines. The findings highlight the importance of flexible, situationally responsive leadership in sustaining creativity during crises and offer practical implications for human resource managers and organizational leaders in developing countries. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.

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