From individual creativity to team creativity: A meta-analytic test of task moderators

Abstract

Research has advanced two perspectives on the fundamental issue of the relationship between member creativity and team creativity: the additive model (predicting with average member creativity) and the disjunctive model (predicting with highest member creativity). Inconsistent evidence raises the question of possible moderators. We address this question by developing moderating roles of task characteristics – task interdependence and task creativity requirement. In a meta-analytic review of team creativity (and innovation) research, we hypothesized and supported that the additive model is more predictive in tasks with high interdependence and with low creativity requirements, and that the disjunctive model is more predictive for less interdependent tasks. The effectiveness of the disjunctive model, however, did not differ as a function of task creativity requirements. Further, our supplementary analysis showed that the additive model is more effective in tasks requiring only generating creative ideas than in tasks involving both generation and implementation of creative ideas. Practitioner points: Because creative employees are in high demand, it is important to effectively select and assign creative individuals to teams for managing creativity. Managing team creativity by selecting creative individuals for the team can be done following two strategies: an additive strategy prioritizing high levels of average member creativity or a disjunctive strategy prioritizing one particularly creative member. Whether the additive or the disjunctive strategy is more effective is contingent on task characteristics: with high task interdependence, it is better to prioritize mean member creativity; with low task interdependence and with higher creativity requirements, it is better to prioritize one particularly creative team member.