Although research on team performance-prove goal orientation (TPPGO) has flourished, there remains a scarcity of studies investigating its impact on individual performance. Drawing upon transactional stress theory, our study aims to explore the dual nature of the influence exerted by TPPGO on employee creative performance. Employing a multi-level regression analysis of 369 two-stage, multi-source matched questionnaire responses, we find that challenge appraisal serves as a mediator in the relation between TPPGO and creative performance, while threat appraisal acts as a conditional mediator. Furthermore, subjective goal difficulty moderates the effect of TPPGO on both challenge and threat appraisals, thereby transmitting the positive and negative impacts of TPPGO on creative performance, respectively. Our findings contribute to the existing research by enriching the understanding of how TPPGO impacts creative performance, including its explanatory mechanisms and boundary conditions. Additionally, this study offers valuable suggestions for managers in setting team goals from a dialectical perspective.