Predicting the Relationship Between Individual and Team Creativity: Individual Motivation on the Task and Team Climate.

Abstract

This study investigated factors contributing to team creativity by examining (i) correlation between team member’s individual creativity measured before joining the team (individual creative potential) and team creative output (team creativity), (ii) correlation between team member’s intrinsic motivation in the task and team creativity, (iii) correlation between team climate and team creativity, and (iv) role of individual creative potential, intrinsic motivation and team climate, taken together, to predict team creativity. To date, no study has examined the link between individual creativity before joining a team and team output. This study contributes to the understanding of how to assemble and nurture teams to maximize their creative performance. The study hypothesized that individual team member creativity prior to joining the team would be positively related to team creativity. Further, the correlation was expected to be stronger when the participant’s level of intrinsic motivation and the level of team climate for creativity were higher. Participants were recruited from a second year MBA course at the China Europe International Business School, in Shanghai. Participant’s individual creative potential was measured with an on-line version of the divergent thinking task and a self-report measure of creative personality, prior to team assembling. Intrinsic motivation and team climate for innovation were measured after conclusion of the team work using online validated self-report measures. The results showed a significant correlation between individual creative potential and team creative output (R2 =.284, F(2,19)=3.77, p<.05), and they also revealed something that was not anticipated in the initial hypothesis: whereas divergent thinking ability was positively correlated with team creativity after accounting for creative personality, creative personality was negatively correlated to team creativity, after accounting for divergent thinking ability. Otherwise stated, the different aspects to individual creativity can interfere with each other and either enhance or hinder team creativity. Further, the results also suggested that creative personality and team climate for innovation when taken together are significant predictors of team creativity, with team climate positively correlating with team creativity after accounting for individual creative potential (R2 =.520, F(3,15)=5.42, p<.05). Intrinsic motivation did not contribute to the multiple regression model due to its high correlation with team climate coupled with a relatively low sample size and further studies with larger sample size are encouraged. This study provides initial evidence suggesting a significant role of individual creative potential and team climate for innovation in team creativity. It is the first study to measure team member’s individual creative potential before joining the team and the first to suggest a potential negative effect of creative personality in team creativity.