关键词: 知识更新要求, 员工创造力, 挑战性压力评估, 个体技能发展, 工作家庭冲突, 女性知识员工

Abstract:    Based on challenge-hindrance stress classification theory and stress interaction theory, this paper aims to explore the impact of knowledge updating requirements on female knowledge employee creativity, and analyze the chain mediating effect of challenge stress appraisal and individual skill development and the moderating effect of work-family conflict. We use structural equation model and Bootstrapping method to test the hypothesis.The results show that knowledge updating requirements have significant positive influence on employee creativity, including direct influence and indirect influence; In terms of indirect influence, challenge stress appraisal and individual skill development play a part of chain mediating role in the relationship between knowledge updating requirements and employee creativity; In terms of direct impact, work-family conflict plays a moderating role in the relationship between knowledge updating requirements and employee creativity.Our empirical studies show that at least four important factors contribute to the theoretical significance.Firstly, this paper examines the positive effect of knowledge updating requirements on employee creativity as a challenge stress. Past researches starting from the original connotation of challenge stress, discussed the relationship between such as workload, time stress, job complexity and job responsibilities scope and the employee creativity. This study discusses the relationship between knowledge updating requirements and the employee creativity as a new variable, which expands the connotation of challenge stress and enriches the discussion of the relationship between challenge stress and employee creativity.Secondly, previous studies on the influence mechanism of work stress on employee creativity only investigate the role of a single mediator or multiple mediators in parallel, and paid less attention to the possibility that the mediating role of multiple mediators in the relationship between independent variables and dependent variables was sequential. This paper constructs a chain mediation model between knowledge updating requirements and employee creativity. Moreover, and empirical data shows that challenge stress appraisal and individual skill development play a chain mediating role between knowledge updating requirements and employee creativity, compared with a single mediation model or parallel multiple mediation model, the chain multiple mediation model can better reveal the complex mechanism of multiple mediation variables between independent variables and dependent variables. Which expands people′s understanding of the generation mechanism of employee creativity.Thirdly, there is a lack of research on the boundary condition of the influence of work stress on employee creativity, strengthening the research in this aspect can enhance people′s understanding of the relationship between the two. There are very few studies on the moderating effect of work-family conflict on the relationship between them. The research object of this study is female knowledge employees, and work-family conflict will have a greater impact on their work attitude and behavior. Therefore, the choice of work-family conflict as a moderator of the relationship between work stress and female knowledge employee creativity is of more theoretical and practical significance. Finally, due to the influence of traditional concepts, compared with male employees, female employees have to take on more responsibilities such as taking care of children and doing more housework besides completing work tasks, which brings great stress to female employees. A lot of progress of previous studies of employee creativity has been made, but with female knowledge employees this specific group as the research object of research is still lack. This study focuses on the female knowledge employees and explores the relationship between work stress and employee creativity, to some extent, deepens the research on the relationship between work stress and related outcome variables.In terms of practical significance, in this paper, the enlightenment includes the following several aspects in the field of management.Firstly, both managers and ordinary employees must be aware that not all work stress is negative. Knowledge updating requirements as a challenge stress, can prompt employees to strengthen learning, enhance the level of individual skills, so as to realize the purpose of enhance their creativity, which is of great practical significance to the career development of employees and the improvement of organizational competitiveness. Therefore, organizations should view the impact of work stress on employee creativity, and appropriately raise the difficulty of the task, and change work stress into work motivation and promote knowledge skills and employee creativity.Secondly, according to the stress interaction theory, the whole process from the source of stress to its influence on the outcome variable will involve two subjective evaluations of the subject, and each evaluation will change the direction and intensity of the outcome variable under the influence of the subject or the environment. When employees feel stress from knowledge updating, organizational support and assistance will greatly enhance the confidence of the employees to cope with stress, and employees will be more inclined to carry out challenge stress appraisal on knowledge updating requirements. In addition, in the second evaluation stage, namely, what kind of practical action to take to deal with the stress stage, if the organization can also provide various ways for employees to improve their ability, employees will be more inclined to actively learn and recharge, in order to improve their knowledge and skills and the level of creativity. Finally, empirical results show that female knowledge employees are more likely to be negatively affected by work-family conflict in their study and work, in reality, work and family are very important to every employee, employees cannot abandon their families for work. In this case, if the organization makes appropriate adjustments in the rules and regulations, such as through implementing flexible work arrangements, to a certain extent, can help female knowledge employees flexibly arrange their study and work schedules according to their own situations, in this way, they can study and work independently more effectively, deal with work stress with a more positive attitude, and maximize the stress into motivation.The shortcoming of this study is that the sample of this study is mainly female engineers in the construction industry and is relatively single, so it′s not enough to represent all types of female knowledge employees. External validity of the research conclusion remains to be further verified, therefore，future research can consider to choose female knowledge employees from more industry to strengthen the conclusion applicability across the sample.

Key words:  knowledge updating requirements, employee creativity, challenge stress appraisal, individual skill development, work-family conflict, female knowledge employee