Effecting Flow: The Relationship between the Perceived Team Climate for Innovations and the Experience of Flow and Worry

Abstract

Over the past decades, the interest in research and practical recommendations on innovation climate at team and organizational level has grown. Furthermore, the positive effects of flow experience have become increasingly present at work. For the target group of members of product software development teams in Germany (N = 323), this study identified a significantly positive relation between the perceived team climate for innovations and the individual flow experience, whereas there is no significant relation between the perceived team climate for innovations and the individual experience of worry. Gender has no moderating effect. Regarding the four dimensions of the team climate for innovations, the expression of vision is relatively low for the target group of product software development teams in Germany compared to the norm tables. Participative safety is comparably high and task orientation and support for innovations are moderately distinctive. This means, all dimensions, except participative safety, need interventions in order to strengthen the team climate for innovations itself and thereby foster the flow experience. Since the extent of experiencing both flow and worry is relatively high, software product development itself and respectively the work environments seem to be stimulating, but also concerning for team members, which is why these aspects need action.