We propose that theories of team development and of team creativity can usefully be integrated into a new framework. In this exploratory paper, we attempt such a synthesis, drawing on empirical evidence from studies with teams engaged in innovative projects. The framework proposes two structural barriers that bear on team performance. The weaker barrier differentiates teams according to the personal relationships established. The stronger barrier differentiates teams according to the levels of task performance achieved. Creative leadership is suggested as an important means whereby the barriers can be breached, through the provision of benign structures. The distinction between creative leadership and 'new leadership' forms is explored.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Ackoff, R.L. and E. Vergara.1981. 'Creativity in Problem-solving and Planning: A Review', European Journal of Operational Research , 7:1-13.
2.
Amabile, T.M.1983a. The Social Psychology of Creativity. New York: Springer-Verlag.
3.
—. 1983b. 'The Social Psychology of Creativity: A Componential Conceptualization', Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 45: 357-76.
4.
Amabile, T.M.1996. Creativity in Context. Boulder, CO : Westview.
5.
Amabile, T.M., R. Conti, H.Coon, J. Lazenby and M. Herron .1996. 'Assessing the Work Environment for Creativity', Academy of Management Journal, 39(5): 1154-84.
6.
Anderberg, M.R.1973. Cluster Analysis for Applications. New York: Academic Press.
7.
Basadur, M.1995. The Power of Innovation: How to Make Innovation a Way of Life and Put Creative Solutions to Work. London : Pitman Publishing.
8.
Bass, B.M. and B.J. Avolio.1990. 'The Implications of Transactional and Transformational Leadership for Individual Team, and Organisational Development' , Research in Organisational Change and Development, 4: 231-72.
Beckhard, R.1979. 'Strategies for Large System Change', in D.A. Kolb, I.M. Rubin and J.M. McIntyre (eds), Organizational Psychology: A Book of Readings (third editions), pp. 461-72. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
11.
Bryman, A.1992. Charisma and Leadership in Organizations. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
12.
Buchanan, D. and A. Huczynski.1997. Organisational Behaviour: An Introductory Text (third edition)London: Prentice-Hall .
13.
Csikszentmihalyi, M.1990. 'The Domain of Creativity', in M.A. Runco and R.S. Albert (eds), Theories of Creativity, pp. 190-212. Newbury Park, CA : Sage.
14.
de Bono, E.1971. Lateral Thinking for Management. London : McGraw-Hill.
15.
—. 1985. Six Thinking Hats. London: Penguin.
16.
—. 1990. I am Right: You are Wrong. London: Viking.
17.
—. 1992. Serious Creativity: Using the Power of Lateral Thinking to Create New Ideas. London: Harper Collins.
18.
Ekvall, G.1987. 'The Climate Metaphor in Organization Theory', in B.M. Bass and P.J.D. Drenth (with P. Weissenberg) (eds), Advances in Organizational Psychology: An International Review , pp. 177-90. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
19.
Ekvall, G., J. Arvonen and I. Waldenstron-Lindblad .1993. 'Creative Organisational Climate: Construction and Validation of a Measuring Instrument', FaRadet, Report No. 2. Stockholm, Sweden: The Swedish Council for Management and Work Issues.
20.
Feist, G.J. and M.A. Runco.1993. 'Trends in Creativity Literature: An Analysis of Research in the Journal of Creative Behavior (1967-1989)', Creativity Research Journal, 6 (3): 271-86.
Giddens, A.1990. 'Structuration Theory and Sociological Analysis' , in J. Clark, C. Modgil and S. Modgil (eds), Antony Giddens: Consensus and Controversy, Bristol. PA : The Falmer Press.
23.
Gordon, W.J.J.1961. Synectics: The Development of Creative Capacity . New York: Harper and Row.
24.
Haefele, J.W.1962. Creativity and Innovation. New York : Reinhold.
25.
Hays, W.L.1981. Statistics. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
26.
Isaksen, S.G. and D.J. Treffinger .1985. Creative Problem-solving: The Basic Course. Buffalo, NY: Bearly.
27.
Isaksen, S.G., G.J. Puccio and D.J. Treffinger .1993. 'An Ecological Approach to Creativity Research: Profiling for Creative Problem Solving', Journal of Creative Behavior, 27(3): 149-70.
28.
Isaken, S.G., M.C. Murdock , R.L. Firestien and D.J. Treffinger (eds). 1993a. Nurturing and developing creativity: The emergence of a discipline, Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
29.
— (eds). 1993b. Understanding and Recognising Creativity: The Emergence of a Discipline. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
30.
Kaiser, H.F.1974. 'An Index of Factorial Simplicity', Psychometrica , 39: 31-36.
31.
MacKinnon, D.W.1978. In Search of Human Effectiveness: Identifying and Developing Creativity. Buffalo, NY: Creative Education Foundation.
32.
McPherson, J.H.1969. Structured Approaches to Creativity. Menlo Park, CA: Stanford Research Institute.
33.
Mohamed, M.Z. and T. Rickards.1996. 'Assessing and Comparing the Innovativeness and Creative Climate of Firms', Scandinavian Journal of Management , 12(2): 109-21.
34.
Nonaka, I. and H. Takeuchi.1995. The Knowledge Creating Company: How Japanese Companies Create the Dynamics of Innovation. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
35.
Noruśis, M.J.1993/1994. SPSS Professional Statistics 6.1. Chicago: SPSS Inc.
36.
Nyström, H.1990. Technological and Market Innovation: Strategies for Product and Company Development. Chichester: Wiley.
37.
Ohmae, K.1982. The Mind of the Strategist: The Art of Japanese Management . New York: McGraw-Hill .
Rickards, T.1973. Problem Solving through Creative Analysis. Epping, Essex, UK: Gower Press.
45.
—. 1987. 'Can Computers Help Stimulate Creativity ? Training Implications from a Postgraduate MBA Experience', Management Education and Development, 18(2): 129-39.
46.
—. 1990. Creativity and Problem-solving at Work. Famborough, UK: Gower Press.
47.
Rickards, T. and C. De Cock.1994. 'Creativity in MS/OR: Training for Creativity-Findings in a European Context', Interfaces, 24: 59-65.
48.
Rickards, T. and S.T. Moger.1999. Handbook for Creative Team Leaders . Aldershot, Hants: Gower Press .
49.
Senge, P.M.1990. The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. New York: Doubleday .
50.
Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). 1997. SPSS for Windows, 1997 Version.
. 1987. 'Creativity Research at the Crossroads: A 1985 Perspective' , in S.G. Isaksen (ed.), Frontiers of Creativity Research: Beyond the Basics, pp. 417-27. Buffalo, NY: Bearly.
54.
Stein, M.I.1993. 'The Olden Days: Better, Worse, Does it Matter ?', in S.G. Isaksen, M.C. Murdock, R.L. Firestien and D.L. Treffinger (eds), Understanding and Recognising Creativity: The Emergence of a Discipline, pp. 477-91. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
55.
Stevens, J.1992. Applied Multivariate Statistics for the Social Sciences . Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum .
56.
Sutton, R.I. and A. Hargadon.1996. 'Brainstorming Groups in Context: Effectiveness in a Product Design Firm', Administrative Science Quarterly , 41: 685-718.
57.
Tardif, T.Z. and R.J. Sternberg.1988. 'What Do We Know about Creativity?' in R.J. Stemberg (ed.), The Nature of Creativity, pp. 429-40. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.
58.
Tuckman, B.W.1965. 'Development Sequence in Small Groups', Psychological Bulletin, 63(6): 384-99.
59.
Tuckman, B.W. and M.C. Jensen.1977. 'Stages of Small Group Development Revisited' , Group and Organisational Studies, 2: 419-27.
60.
Van deVen, A.H. and A.L. Delbecq.1971. 'Nominal Versus Interacting Groups for Committee Decision-making Effectiveness', Academy of Management Journal, 14(2): 203-12.
61.
VanGundy, A.B.1988. Techniques of Structured Problem-solving (second edition)New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold .
62.
Woodman, R.W. and L.F. Schoenfeldt .1989. 'Individual Differences in Creativity: An Interactionist Perspective', in J.A. Glover, R.R. Ronning and C.R. Reynolds (eds), Handbook of Creativity , pp. 77-92. New York: Plenum Press.
63.
Woodman, R.W., J.E. Sawyer and R.W. Griffin.1993. 'Toward a Theory of Organizational Creativity' , Academy of Management Review, 18(2): 293-321.
