Despite substantial research on the relationship between time resources and creativity, few studies have focused on the way how time is structured at work. Applying the Integrated Constraints in Creativity (IConIC) model, the current study theorizes how dividing work into smaller time blocks affects creativity. Specifically, we developed and examined the curvilinear relationship between task segmentation and creativity, as well as the moderating effect of temporal predictability in this relationship. We examined the proposed theoretical model in one online experiment and one daily diary study. In Study 1, an online sentence construction task of 167 participants, we found a curvilinear relationship (i.e., a gradually dissipating positive relationship) between task segmentation and creativity. In Study 2, a 10-day experience sampling study among 176 employees, the multilevel modeling results replicated this curvilinear effect at the within-person level. We also identified a cross-level moderating effect of temporal predictability, such that the gradually dissipating positive relationship was more pronounced when the temporal predictability was higher. Moving beyond the predominant resource-based framework, this study conceptualizes task segmentation as a creativity constraint and offers a fresh perspective on how role of time in shaping creativity. In addition, we expand research on temporal work design by investigating the interaction effects of temporal work characteristics from a configurational approach.
