The Model of Job Autonomy and Task Complexity in Creative Behaviors in Employees of Sport and Youth Offices of Golestan Province

The aim of this study was to explain the role of job autonomy and task complexity in creative behaviors of employees of Sport and Youth offices of Golestan province (N=220). 140 employees of these offices were selected as the statistical sample by simple random sampling method. To collect data, Langfred’s (2005) job autonomy, Maynard and Hakel’s (2009) task complexity and Zhou and George’s (2001) creative behaviors in workplace questionnaires were used. Face and content validity of the questionnaires were confirmed by experts and reliability coefficients of the questionnaires were determined respectively as 0.83, 0.78 and 0.79. Data were analyzed and the causal relationships of research variables were identified by structural equation modeling based on Smart PLS 2. Results showed that autonomy in job planning had a positive and significant effect on employees’ creative behaviors (t=3.31, β=0.34). The effects of autonomy in the approaches to do the job and autonomy in job evaluation on creative behaviors were not significant. Results showed that the task complexity of job had a negative and significant effect on employees’ creative behaviors (t=3.38, β= -0.38). Also, predictor variables of the study totally explained 44% of the variation of creative behaviors variable. According to these results, it is suggested that respective managers should identify the individual and organizational factors affecting the employees’ creative behaviors such as empowerment, knowledge sharing, organizational learning culture and organizational support to lay the groundwork for a creative and innovative organization in the field of sport.