Enhancing employee performance and creativity is essential for sustainable management and long-term success in today’s complex organizational landscape. Grounded in organizational learning theory, this study examines data from 200 leader-employee pairs using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to explore six conditions across organizational context, leadership behavior, and employee motivation. The findings reveal multiple pathways to high performance (three) and high creativity (five), emphasizing the critical role of empowering and family-supportive organizational contexts. Asymmetries are identified, with pathways to high outcomes differing from those leading to their absence, highlighting the nuanced nature of these dynamics. The study also underscores the compensatory effect of a high learning goal orientation, which can offset specific leadership deficiencies. These insights advance theoretical understanding and offer practical guidance for fostering sustainable performance and creativity in dynamic organizational settings.
