Abstract: How to improve employees’ problem-solving capacity is becoming a topic worth in-depth exploration in the area of organizational behavior and human resource management. The paper constructs a moderated mediation model based on the theory of self-regulation to explore how critical thinking affects problem-solving capacity via regression analysis from the perspective of supporting learning environment. The multi-time point results show that: creative self-efficacy partially mediates the relationship between critical thinking and problem-solving capacity; supporting learning environment has direct influence on creativity self-efficacy and problem-solving ability respectively; supporting learning environment moderates the relationship between creative self-efficacy and problem-solving capacity; supporting learning environment moderates the mediated relationship between critical thinking and problem-solving capacity. This paper not only deepens the understanding of the mechanism of how critical thinking influences employees’ problem-solving capacity, but also extends the researches on the effectiveness of supporting learning environment, and provides a new concept and useful enlightenment for improving employees’ problem-solving capacity from the perspective of individual’s cognition.

Key words: critical thinking, creative self-efficacy, supporting learning environment, problem-solving capacity