Linking Multitasking to Creative Process Engagement Through Psychological Detachment: Temporal Leadership as a Moderator

Abstract

In the digital-driven workplace, individuals are required to multitask frequently while maintaining high levels of creativity to stay indispensable. But does multitasking promote or hinder creative process engagement? Utilizing the stressor-detachment model, this study examines the links between multitasking and creative process engagement. Through a survey of 329 employees conducted over three time points, findings reveal that psychological detachment mediates the negative relationship between multitasking and creative process engagement. Furthermore, temporal leadership mitigates the negative relationship between multitasking and psychological detachment and, by extension, the indirect relationship between multitasking and creative process engagement via psychological detachment.