Int. J. Management Practice, Vol. 11, No. 2, 2018 171 Copyright © 2018 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. Impact of leader creativity expectations on employee creativity: assessing the mediating and moderating role of creative self-efficacy Muhammad Shahnawaz Adil* Department of Management Sciences, IQRA University, Karachi, Pakistan Email: adil.s@iuk.edu.pk *Corresponding author Muhammad Nadeem Khan Department of Management Sciences, IQRA University, Karachi, Pakistan Email: khan.n@iuk.edu.pk Imran Khan Department of English Language, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi Arabia Email: drimrankhan810@gmail.com Muhammad Asif Qureshi COB-School of Business Management, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Kedah, Malaysia Email: qureshimuhammadasif@gmail.com Abstract: This study analyses the impact of the leader creativity expectations on employee creativity and also investigates whether creative self-efficacy mediates or moderates the positive relationship between leader creativity expectations and employee creativity. A sample of 300 responses is drawn from the employees of the advertising agencies of Karachi (Pakistan) using cross-sectional survey questionnaire administered to them. The responses about employees’ creativity are rated by their immediate supervisors. We used variance-based structural equation modelling (SEM) technique with bootstrapping method to test hypotheses. The findings suggest that leader creativity expectations significantly increase employee creativity. In addition, creative self-efficacy does not moderate rather partially mediates the relationship between leader creativity expectations and employee creativity. Managerial implications are also discussed in the context of the advertising agencies of Karachi, Pakistan.