Don't expect robots to be creative: Why and when organizational dehumanization is a creativity killer

Drawing on regulatory focus theory, this study examines whether, how and when organizational dehumanization affects frontline service employees’ creativity. Aiming to test our hypotheses, we conducted a three-wave survey of 228 leader–employee dyads in a hotel group in China. Data analyses revealed that organizational dehumanization has disruptive effects on frontline service employees’ creativity. In addition, we found that promotion focus mediates the link connecting organizational dehumanization to frontline service employees’ creativity. Furthermore, frontline service employees’ core self-evaluation and job social support are two important moderators that attenuate the direct influence of organizational dehumanization on frontline service employees’ promotion focus, and its indirect effect on frontline service employees’ creativity via promotion focus. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings.