Fostering creativity in interdisciplinary and intercultural teams: The importance of team building and team management

Abstract

Abstract In many contexts, whether for work, study or play, teams are widely used to carry out tasks, especially complex and creative tasks. Though metaanalyses have shown the benefits of diversity for team creativity, these benefits are almost exclusively accompanied by the challenges diversity poses to team effectiveness and creativity (e.g., conflicts, stress, negative emotionality, and tensions from perceived paradoxes). The double-edged effects of diversity on team creativity and effectiveness must be coped with tactfully if creative success in teams is to be achieved. This chapter focuses on creativity in interdisciplinary and intercultural teams. It differentiates teams from groups and identifies determinants of effectiveness and creativity in teams with high diversity. The literature on team creativity will be discussed from the perspectives of psychology and management, as well as our own research and experiences in order to gain further insight and understanding of how to build and manage highly diverse teams to achieve creative goals.