The Indirect Effects of Ethical Leadership and High Performance Work System on Task Performance through Creativity: Exploring a Moderated Mediation Model*

The present study explores the interaction effects of ethical leadership (EL) and high performance work system (HPWS) on creativity and task performance in a Korean public sector firm. Data were collected in two stages, first from team members on the perceptions of EL and HPWS (Stage 1), followed by their leaders’ evaluations of team members’ creativity and performance (Stage 2). This study found the interaction effects of EL and HPWS, such that their effects are negative on creativity and positive on task performance. We argue that compensatory effects of HPWS and EL on creativity exist, such that HPWS is the most effective on task performance via creativity when EL is low. In the presence of a low EL level, creativity is significantly enhanced, mainly when HPWS is high, which leads to a high level of task performance. Implications and future research directions are discussed.