The Effect of Transformational Mentorship on Individual Creativity in Educational Research Teams: The Mediating Role of LMX and Intrinsic Motivation

We developed and testified a theoretical model which explained how transformational mentorship style influences individual creativity and job satisfaction in the context of educational research teams in the context of educational research teams. Our sample included 81 teams consisting of 258 graduate students from the mainland China. The dyadic data indicated that the LMX fully mediated the relationship between transformational leadership and job satisfaction and the intrinsic motivation fully mediated the relationship between transformational leadership and creativity. The results of this present study extended the transformational leadership theory in the educational research settings, and shed the light on the mechanism how leadership style behavior would influence the member's creativity. Furthermore, the study had the practical implication for education management and research management concerning about how to create the contextual environment in order to facilitate the members' individual creativity.