Abstract Cognitive appraisal theory is introduced to explore the mechanism between university research team leader’s linguistic framing and followers’ creativity. Following a three-stage data collection process, we finally obtained 228 samples from one of the 985 project universities. It is found that: (1) Cognitive appraisal of the follower mediated the relationship between leader’s linguistic framing and creativity. Challenge appraisal mediated the relationship between positive linguistic framing and creativity; threat appraisal mediated the relationship between negative linguistic framing and creativity. (2) Job complexity moderated the relationship between leader’s linguistic framing and followers’cognitive appraisal. (3) Job complexity moderated the mediated relation among leader’s positive linguistic framing, challenge appraisal, and creativity. The implications were discussed for research and practice finally.
2016, Vol. 13 
