Creativity in Teams

Leigh Thompson, Elizabeth Ruth Wilson

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Organizations want to be more creative, but improving creativity remains an elusive process. We examine the study of creativity in teams and groups beginning with the intuitive assertion that teams are more creative than individuals and review decades of research that suggest otherwise: Individuals are actually more creative than their groups. We then focus on the key cognitive and social factors that thwart team creativity, such as conformity pressure, and highlight techniques for improving the creative performance of groups, such as brainwriting (rather than brainstorming), quantity goals (versus quality goals), and rotating (rather than stable) membership. We conclude with paradoxical tactics for and consequences of improving creativity.
Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationEmerging Trends in the Social and Behavioral Sciences
Subtitle of host publicationAn Interdisciplinary, Searchable, and Linkable Resource
EditorsRobert A. Scott, Stephen M. Kosslyn
Place of PublicationHoboken, NJ
PublisherJohn Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Pages1-14
Number of pages14
ISBN (Electronic)9781118900772
DOIs
StatePublished - 2015

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