Leader-member exchange mediates the relationship between workplace fun and employee creativity

Although previous researchers have explored positive outcomes of workplace fun, the workplace fun-employee creativity relationship has received little attention. We investigated the link between workplace fun and employee creativity, and the mediating effect of leader-member exchange (LMX) on this relationship. Participants comprised 226 subordinates and 45 supervisors from Chinese state-owned companies. We employed structural equation modeling analysis to examine the hypotheses. Results show that workplace fun did not have a significant direct relationship with employee creativity. However, LMX fully mediated the workplace fun-employee creativity link. These results suggest that, to promote employee creativity, organizations should create a fun work environment in which employees can develop high-quality LMX.