Abstract:

Drawing on self-determination theory, this study examines the dual effects of daily workplace solitude on next-day creativity and non-work-related emailing through autonomy need satisfaction and workplace loneliness, respectively. Work environment interactivity is examined as a key boundary condition that may mitigate the relational costs of solitude. Using experience sampling data from 229 full-time employees across 10 consecutive workdays (2,003 matched observations), multilevel path analyses showed that daily solitude positively predicted next-day creativity via increased autonomy need satisfaction. In contrast, daily solitude also indirectly increased non-work-related emailing through heightened workplace loneliness, an effect that was weaker in highly interactive work environments. These findings extend solitude research by demonstrating its double-edged effects in organizational contexts and by identifying work environment interactivity as a contextual buffer that helps organizations harness the benefits of solitude while reducing its downsides.

Keywords: daily solitude at work, autonomy need satisfaction, workplace loneliness, creativity, non-work-related emailing behaviors, work environment interactivity.

Please choose your submission type: Full Paper

Primary Track: Organisational Psychology

Keywords: Employee Health, Safety and Well Being at Work    ;Employee Attitudes and Motivations   ;Creativity in teams and at work    ;Individual differences in organisations    ;Cognition in organisations   

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Prof Nai-Wen Chi