A connotation to public sector creativity: creative public servants’ tendencies to opt for rule-bending

Public servants’ creativity is often viewed as desirable. However, it also has a different side. This preregistered survey vignette study (n = 950) indicates that creative public servants are more prone to opt for rule-bending in general. The kind of justification matters in itself, but it does not appear that more creative public servants are more prone to justify rule-bending out of self-interest than out of public interest compared to less creative public servants. Though less problematic than hypothesized, this connotates creativity as it may lead to inconsistent application of rules, endangering accountability, predictability, procedural fairness and legitimacy.