Achievement Goal Orientation and Employee Creativity

Achievement goal orientation (GO) has been established as a key driver of creativity, shaping how individuals approach and solve problems in the workplace. However, prior research has yielded inconsistent findings regarding the nature of the GO–creativity relationship. Our goal for this study was to conduct a meta-analysis on the relationship between achievement GO and employee creativity. The overall effect sizes (Pearson’s r) for the relationships between four types of achievement GO and employee creativity were examined. Findings indicated that learning goal orientation (LGO) (uncorrected r = .29, r* = .32), performance (overall) GO (uncorrected r = .19, r* = .22), and performance-approach GO (uncorrected r = .15, r* = .18) were significantly and positively associated with employee creativity, while performance-avoid GO was significantly and negatively associated (uncorrected r = −.10, r* = −.10). A set of moderator analyses revealed that the LGO–creativity relationship was stronger at the team level and among females. Additionally, self-rated (vs. supervisor-rated) creativity showed a stronger link to the LGO. For performance-avoid goals, younger employees experienced a weaker negative impact on creativity, while organizational tenure strengthened this association. These findings offer theoretical and practical insights into how GO and contextual factors shape creativity in the workplace.