Although existing studies show that electronic monitoring (EM) practices positively influence employees’ behaviors in the work domain, it remains unclear when and how EM practices influence employee radical and incremental creativity. Drawing on the self- determination theory, we examine when and how EM practices help or hinder employee radical and incremental creativity. We conduct a multi-phase and multi-source field study with data from 100 leaders and their 240 subordinates. We find that EM enhances employee autonomous motivation when their developmental attribution of EM is high, but decreases it when it is low. EM enhances employee controlled motivation when their deterrent attribution of EM is high, but decreases it when it is low. Furthermore, employee developmental attribution of EM strengthens the indirect effect of autonomous motivation between EM and two kinds of creativity (radical and incremental creativity). Finally, employee deterrent attribution of EM weakens the indirect effect of controlled motivation between EM and two kinds of creativity. We extend research on EM by showing both the upside and downside in employee creativity and when each may occur.
