Psychological Researches in Management

Psychological Researches in Management

Investigating the Influence of Polychronicity on Resilience and Creativity of Employees: The Role of Mindfulness

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Seyed Mehdi Mirmehdi 1
Fataneh Yarahmadi 2
Nahid Moradi 3
1 Associate Professor, Department of Management, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Malayer University, Malayer, Iran.
2 Assistant Professor Department of Management, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Malayer University, Malayer, Iran.
3 MSc in Management, Department of Management, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Malayer University, Malayer, Iran.
10.22034/jom.2025.2051161.1316
Abstract
This study aims to investigate the interplay between polychronicity (the preference for engaging in multiple tasks simultaneously), employee resilience, and creativity, with a specific focus on the moderating role of mindfulness. Conducted within the context of the Department of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare employees in Markazi Province, Iran, the research aims to address a gap in the literature by exploring how polychronicity influences creativity both directly and indirectly through resilience, and how mindfulness enhances these relationships. By examining these constructs, the study intends to provide actionable insights for organizations to foster creativity and resilience, particularly in high-pressure, multitasking environments. The research also aims to contribute to understanding of how individual psychological resources, such as mindfulness and resilience, can amplify the benefits of polychronicity in public organizations.
Design/Methodology/Approach: This study adopts a quantitative, applied research approach with a cross-sectional design. The target population comprises all employees of the Department of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare in Markazi Province, Iran. Data were collected through a field survey using a structured questionnaire distributed among employees. A convenience sampling method was employed, resulting in 175 fully completed questionnaires out of 200 distributed, which formed the basis for analysis. The questionnaire consisted of 20 items adapted from established scales that measured polychronicity, resilience, creativity, and mindfulness, with sources including Al-Omar et al. (2019), Akgunduz et al. (2018), and Lau et al. (2006). The reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients exceeding 0.7 for all constructs (ranging from 0.76 to 0.789). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was utilized to analyze the data, with LISREL software employed to test the proposed relationships and model fit. The model included direct, mediating, and moderating effects, with polychronicity as the independent variable, resilience as a mediator, creativity as the dependent variable, and mindfulness as a moderator. Model fit was assessed using indices such as Chi-square/degrees of freedom, RMSEA, RMR, NFI, NNFI, CFI, IFI, and GFI, ensuring the robustness of the findings.
Findings: The results of the structural equation modeling confirmed all proposed hypotheses. First, polychronicity was found to have a significant positive effect on employee creativity (t = 2.25, β = 0.30), indicating that employees who engage in multiple tasks simultaneously are more likely to exhibit creative behaviors. Second, polychronicity positively influenced employee resilience (t = 3.04, β = 0.34), suggesting that multitasking enhances employees’ ability to adapt and thrive under challenging conditions. Third, resilience significantly predicted creativity (t = 3.14, β = 0.60), highlighting its role as a critical resource for fostering innovative thinking. Additionally, resilience mediated the relationship between polychronicity and creativity (Z = 3.59), demonstrating that polychronicity fosters creativity partly by enhancing resilience. Furthermore, mindfulness was found to moderate the relationships between polychronicity and both resilience (U0 = 36.286) and creativity (U0 = 25.956). Employees with higher mindfulness levels exhibited stronger positive effects of polychronicity on resilience and creativity, as mindfulness enabled better task prioritization, stress management, and cognitive flexibility. The model fit indices supported the robustness of these findings, with a Chi-square/degrees of freedom ratio of 2.185, RMSEA of 0.08, RMR of 0.056, and GFI of 0.87, all meeting or exceeding standard thresholds for acceptable fit.
Discussion and Conclusion: From a practical perspective, organizations, particularly public sector entities like the Department of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare, can leverage these findings to enhance employee performance. Implementing training programs focused on polychronicity, such as time management and task prioritization workshops, can cultivate a workforce capable of thriving in multitasking scenarios. Additionally, integrating mindfulness-based interventions, such as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) programs, can equip employees with tools to manage stress and enhance cognitive flexibility, thereby boosting both resilience and creativity. Creating flexible work structures, such as cross-functional teams or task rotation systems, can further encourage polychronicity and innovation. These strategies can mitigate burnout, enhance adaptability, and foster a culture of creativity and resilience. Theoretically, this study contributes to the understanding of how polychronicity, resilience, and mindfulness interact to drive creativity in organizational settings. It addresses a gap in the literature by integrating mediating and moderating mechanisms, offering a comprehensive model that explains the pathways through which polychronicity influences creativity. In conclusion, this research highlights the synergistic potential of polychronicity, resilience, and mindfulness as levers for fostering creativity and organizational success, providing a foundation for both theoretical advancements and practical interventions in dynamic work environments.
Keywords
Employee creativity
Employee resilience
Mindfulness
Polychronicity

Subjects

  1. اصلانی، فرشید، و محمدی، مرضیه (1404). تأثیر کمال‌گرایی بر انگیزش با نقش میانجی خودکارآمدی و تاب‌آوری روانشناختی. پژوهش‌های روانشناختی در مدیریت، 11(1)، 90-61. https://doi.org/10.22034/jom.2025.2047666.1301

References

  1. Aslani, F., & Mohammadi, M. (2025). The Effect of Perfectionism on Motivation with the Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy and Psychological Resilience. Psychological Researches in Management, 11(1), 61-90. https://doi.org/10.22034/jom.2025.2047666.1301 (In Persian)
  2. Akgunduz, Y., Alkan, C., & Gok, O.A. (2018). Perceived organizational support, employee creativity and proactive personality: the mediating effect of meaning of work. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 34, 105-114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2018.01.004
  3. Al-Omar, H.A., Arafah, A.M., Barakat, J.M., Almutairi, R.D., Khurshid, F., & Alsultan, M.S. (2019). The impact of perceived organizational support and resilience on pharmacists’ engagement in their stressful and competitive workplaces in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal, 27(7), 1044-1052. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsps.2019.08.007
  4. Anser, M.K., Yousaf, Z., Sharif, M., Yijun, W., Majid, A., & Yasir, M. (2022). Investigating employee creativity through employee polychronicity and employee resilience: a glimpse of nurses working in the health-care sector. European Journal of Innovation Management, 25(1), 39-54. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJIM-05-2020-0176
  5. Antoncic, J.A., Antoncic, B., & Li, Z. (2018). Creativity of the entrepreneur, intrapreneurship, and the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises: evidence from China. Chinese Business Review, 17(7), 336-341. https://doi.org/17265/1537-1506/2018.07.003
  6. Arasli, H., Hejraty Namin, B., & Abubakar, A.M. (2018). Workplace incivility as a moderator of the relationships between polychronicity and job outcomes. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30(3), 1245-1272. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-12-2016-0655
  7. Bakker, A.B., & Demerouti, E. (2007). The job demands‐resources model: State of the art. Journal of managerial psychology, 22(3), 309-328. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940710733115
  8. Bluedorn, A. C. (2002). The Human Organization of Time: Temporal Realities and Experience. Stanford University Press.
  9. Byrne, B.M. (2016). Structural equation modeling with AMOS: Basic concepts, applications, and programming (3rd). Routledge.
  10. Byrne, E.K., & Thatchenkery, T. (2019). Cultivating creative workplaces through mindfulness. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 32(1), 15–31. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-10-2017-0387
  11. Cohn, M.A., Fredrickson, B.L., Brown, S.L., Mikels, J.A., & Conway, A.M. (2009). Happiness unpacked: Positive emotions increase life satisfaction by building resilience. Emotion, 9(3), 361-368. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015952
  12. Connor, K.M., & Davidson, J.R. (2013). Development of a new resilience scale: The Connor‐Davidson resilience scale (CD‐RISC). Depression and Anxiety, 18(2), 76-82. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.10113
  13. Correia, R.J., Dias, J.G., Teixeira, M.S., & Campos, S. (2023). Building competitive advantages and business success: the role of learning orientation, reward systems and entrepreneurial orientation. European Business Review, 35(1), 92-119. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-03-2022-0051
  14. Dane, E. (2011). Paying attention to mindfulness and its effects on task performance in the workplace. Journal of Management, 37(4), 997-1018. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206310367948
  15. De Clercq, D., & Pereira, R. (2019). Resilient employees are creative employees, when the workplace forces them to be. Creativity and Innovation Management, 28(3), 329-342. https://doi.org/10.1111/caim.12328
  16. De Lorenzo, A., Lattke, L.S., & Rabaglietti, E. (2023). Creativity and resilience: A mini-review on post-pandemic resources for adolescents and young adults. Frontiers in Public Health, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1117539
  17. Denhardt, J., & Denhardt, R. (2010). Building organizational resilience and adaptive management. In J.W. Reich, A.J. Zautra & J.S. Hall (Eds.), Handbook of adult resilience. The Giullford Press, New York.
  18. Ding, G., Liu, H., Huang, Q., & Gu, J. (2019). Enterprise social networking usage as a moderator of the relationship between work stressors and employee creativity: a multilevel study. Information and Management, 56(8). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2019.04.008
  19. Gärtner, C. (2013). Enhancing readiness for change by enhancing mindfulness. Journal of Change Management, 13(1), 52-68. https://doi.org/10.1080/14697017.2013.768433
  20. Glomb, T.M., Duffy, M.K., Bono, J.E., & Yang, T. (2011). Mindfulness at work. In Research in personnel and human resources management (pp. 115-157). Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
  21. Good, D.J., Lyddy, C.J., Glomb, T.M., Bono, J. E., Brown, K. W., Duffy, M.K., ... & Lazar, S.W. (2016). Contemplating mindfulness at work: An integrative review. Journal of Management, 42(1), 114-142. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206315617003
  22. Grosso, C.A. (2024). The relationship between creativity and resilience in mental health providers following the COVID-19 public health emergency [Doctoral dissertation]. Saybrook University.
  23. Grygorenko, Z., & Naydonova, G. (2023). The concept of “resilience”: history of formation and approaches to definition. Public Administration and Law Review, (2), 76-88. https://doi.org/10.36690/2674-5216-2023-2-76-88
  24. Hair, J.F., Black, W.C., Babin, B.J., & Anderson, R.E. (2010). Multivariate data analysis (7th). Pearson Prentice Hall.
  25. Henriksen, D., Richardson, C., & Shack, K. (2020). Mindfulness and creativity: Implications for thinking and learning. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 37, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2020.100689
  26. Hertenstein, E., Waibel, E., Frase, L., Riemann, D., Feige, B., Nitsche, M.A., & Nissen,­ (2019). Modulation of creativity by transcranial direct current stimulation. Brain Stimulation, 12(5), 1213-1221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brs.2019.06.004
  27. Hülsheger, U.R., Alberts, H.J., Feinholdt, A., & Lang, J.W. (2013). Benefits of mindfulness at work: The role of mindfulness in emotion regulation, emotional exhaustion, and job satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology, 98(2), 310-325. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0031313
  28. Jang, J., & George, R.T. (2012). Understanding the influence of polychronicity on job satisfaction and turnover intention: A study of non-supervisory hotel employees. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 31(2), 588-595. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2011.08.004
  29. Jöreskog, K.G., & Sörbom, D. (1996). LISREL 8: User’s reference guide. Scientific Software International.
  30. Kabat-Zinn, J. (2023). Wherever you go, there you are: Mindfulness meditation in everyday life. Hachette UK.
  31. Kayaalp, A. (2014). The octopus approach in time management: Polychronicity and creativity. Military Psychology, 26(2), 67-76. https://doi.org/1108/JSM-03-2023-0109
  32. Kline, R.B. (2015). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (4th). Guilford Press.
  33. König, C.J., & Waller, M.J. (2010). Time for reflection: A critical examination of polychronicity. Human Performance, 23(2), 173-190. https://doi.org/10.1080/08959281003621703
  34. Kremer,­ , Villamor, I., & Aguinis, H. (2019). Innovation leadership: best-practice recommendations for promoting employee creativity, voice, and knowledge sharing. Business Horizons, 62(1), 65-74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2018.08.010
  35. Lau, M.A., Bishop, S.R., Segal, Z.V., Buis, T., Anderson, N.D., Carlson, L., ..., & Devins, G. (2006). The Toronto mindfulness scale: Development and validation. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 62(12), 1445-1467. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.20326
  36. Le, N.H., Mai, M.Q.T., & Le, K.G. (2024). Mindfulness, resilience and the happiness of service employees working from home. Journal of Services Marketing, 38(4), 460-473.
  37. Leclair, M. (2023). The atmospherics of creativity: Affective and spatial materiality in a designer’s studio. Organization Studies, 44(5), 807-829. https://doi.org/10.1177/01708406221080141
  38. Madjar, N., & Oldham, G. R. (2006). Task rotation and polychronicity: Effects on individuals' creativity. Human Performance, 19(2), 117-131. DOI: 10.1207/s15327043hup1902_2
  39. Mahmoud, M.A.S., Mustamil, N.M., & Seng, T.L. (2023). Transformational Leadership, Mindfulness, and Employee Creativity: A Moderating Effect of Improvisation-Evidence from the Hospitality Industry in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism, 25(6), 1664-1691. https://doi.org/10.1080/1528008X.2023.2168833
  40. Malik, N., Dhar, R. L., & Handa, S.C. (2016). Authentic leadership and its impact on creativity of nursing staff: A cross sectional questionnaire survey of Indian nurses and their supervisors. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 63, 28-36. https://doi.org/1016/j.ijnurstu.2016.08.004
  41. Masten, A.S., Narayan, A.J., & Wright, M.O.D. (2023). Resilience Processes in Development: Multisystem Integration Emerging from Four Waves of Research. In Handbook of resilience in children (pp. 19-46). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
  42. McGinn, B.A. (2016). The role of working memory, self-regulation, and mindfulness in multitasking performance [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Texas at Austin.
  43. Persing, D.L. (1999). Managing in polychronic times: Exploring individual creativity and performance in intellectually intensive venues. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 14(5), 358-373. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683949910277111
  44. Prayag, G., & Dassanayake, D.C. (2023). Tourism employee resilience, organizational resilience and financial performance: the role of creative self-efficacy. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 31(10), 2312-2336. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2022.2108040
  45. Roemer, A., Sutton, A., & Medvedev, O.N. (2021). The role of dispositional mindfulness in employee readiness for change during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 34(5), 917-928. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-10-2020-0323
  46. Sanjram, P.K., & Khan, A. (2011). Attention, polychronicity, and expertise in prospective memory performance: programmers’ vulnerability to habit intrusion error in multitasking. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 69(6), 428-439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2011.01.006
  47. Schell, ­L., & Conte,­ J.M. (2008). Associations among polychronicity, goal orientation, and error orientation. Personality and Individual Differences, 44(1), 288-298. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2007.08.009
  48. Sehrish,­ , & Zubair, A. (2020). Impact of Polychronicity on Work-Related Quality of Life Among Bank Employees: Moderating Role of Time Management. Pakistan Journal of Psychological Research, 35(2), 511-528. https://doi.org/10.33824/PJPR.2020.35.2.22
  49. Shahpouri,­ , Namdari, K., & Abedi, A. (2016). Mediating role of work engagement in the relationship between job resources and personal resources with turnover intention among female nurses. Applied Nursing Research, 30, 216-221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apnr.2015.10.008
  50. Sunley, R., Harding, L., & Jones, J. (2019). Realizing creativity in management education: putting student energy into action. International Journal of Management in Education, 17(2), 172-181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2019.02.007
  51. Tierney,­ , & Farmer, S.M. (2011). Creative self-efficacy development and creative performance over time. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(2), 277-293. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0020952
  52. Tugade, M.M., & Fredrickson, B.L. (2004). Resilient individuals use positive emotions to bounce back from negative emotional experiences. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 86(2), 320-333. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.86.2.320
  53. Waheed, J., Jun, W., Yousaf, Z., Radulescu, M., & Hussain, H. (2021­). Towards Employee Creativity in the Healthcare Sector: Investigating the Role of Polychronicity, Job Engagement, and Functional Flexibility. In Healthcare (Vol. 9, No. 7, p. 837). Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
  54. Weintraub, J., Pattusamy, M., & Dust, S.B. (2019). Mindful multitasking: Disentangling the effect of polychronicity on work–home conflict and life satisfaction. The Journal of Social Psychology, 159(4), 497-502. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224545.2018.1523783
  55. Wu,­ J., Gao, J.Y., Wang, L.Y., & Yuan, K.S. (2020). Exploring links between polychronicity and job performance from the person–environment fit perspective—The mediating role of well-being. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(10). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17103711
  56. Yousaf, Z., Majid, A., & Yasir, M. (2019). Is polychronicity a panacea for innovative work behavior among nursing staff? Job embeddedness and moderating role of decentralization. European Journal of Innovation Management, 24(1), 173-189. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJIM-06-2019-0172
  57. Zhijie, S., Gull, N., Asghar, M., Sarfraz, M., Shi, R., & Rafique, M. A. (2022). Polychronicity, time perspective, and procrastination behavior at the workplace: An empirical study. Anales de Psicología/Annals of Psychology, 38(2), 355-364. https://doi.org/10.6018/analesps
  58. Zhou, Y., Wang, C., & Sin, H.P. (2023). Being “there and aware”: a meta-analysis of the literature on leader mindfulness. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 32(3), 299-316. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2022.2150170
  59. Zhou, Z., Xiang, S., & Xie, Q. (2025). How could fit between polychronicity and multitasking shape employees' self-leadership? The moderating role of AI-empowered task processing. Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence, 8. https://doi.org/3389/frai.2025.1451944. eCollection 2025