A psychological perspective on the sociotechnical enablers of knowledge worker digital creativity

Abstract

While the work realm moves toward digital environments, the antecedents of knowledge worker digital creativity remain poorly understood. This study investigated the digital work environment as a sociotechnical environment and contextual enhancer of knowledge worker digital creativity. We proposed a research model that links perceived organizational support, sense of virtual community and digital creativity. Furthermore, we proposed an indirect moderation model suggesting that the relationship between organizational support and digital creativity is moderated by the sense of virtual community that, in turn, is facilitated by technology ease of use. We tested the model with data collected from platform knowledge workers (N = 159) using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that organizational support positively relates to digital creativity, and that the sense of virtual community moderates the effect of organizational support for digital creativity, whereas technology ease of use facilitates a sense of virtual community.