Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of leader–member exchange quality on creative involvement of teams in creative work through the mediating role of collective energy comprising of affect, cognitive and behavioral energies. Methodology/approach – In total, a sample of 298 participants in 71 teams working for manufacturing companies producing different auto parts in the eastern part of Iran was examined. A conceptual model was developed, and the hypotheses were analyzed by using structural equation modeling (SEM). Finally, the direct and indirect effects of variables were acquired by a path analysis technique. Findings – The results revealed that, in teams, leader-members exchange indirectly impacts involvement in creative work via affective, cognitive and behavioral energies. Furthermore, affective energy play the most mediating role and behavioral energy my negatively affect involvement in creative work. Originality/value – First, this paper makes a significant contribution to the literature of energy through considering a more panoramic view of it at work. This is the first study in which collective energy functions as a mediating factor in teams. Second, it helps to broaden the scope of research on the relationship between leaders and individuals through multi-level analysis.