Examining the fluidity of innovation teams: a conceptual framework

Abstract

As innovative endeavors have become more complex and time-intensive, there has become an increasing reliance on expert teams in organizations. Expert innovation teams are comprised of team members with extensive experience and mastery in a particular discipline. These teams utilize fluid membership that expands the available knowledge of the team but creates challenges for effective teamwork. We argue that the mechanism for creating an enduring impact and developing a product to fruition requires the cognitive and social integration of fluid team members. This article focuses on how teams effectively integrate knowledge with diverse, and possibly fluid, team members and how teams can organize knowledge through planning and reflection to implement the idea successfully. Knowledge integration and team reflexivity are considered in tandem to emphasize the multi-faceted nature of generating and implementing innovative solutions and the conflicting teamwork processes that hinder innovative efforts. To understand how these competing teamwork processes required for successful innovation interact, we developed a framework that considers resilience as the factor that elicits team creative performance. In doing so, we discuss how innovation teams build resilience over time and how creative failure can lead to greater levels of innovation.

Composition considerations for fluid teams: a review

“… Driskell et al (2023) provide a specific definition of a fluid team as comprised of four core characteristics; (1) team members are rapidly assembled to address an immediate problem, (2) members are assembled based on domain expertise and typically have no prior history or experience working together, (3) the team must begin work on a task that is immediate, time-critical, and of short duration, and (4) at completion of the task, the team disbands with little likelihood of further interaction. These types of teams, assembled temporarily from experts across various domains to accomplish critical, time-sensitive tasks, have become increasingly prevalent in various contexts such as the military, aviation, healthcare, and industry ( Bell et al, 2023 , this issue; Grossman et al, 2024 , this issue; Linhardt and Salas, 2023 , this issue; Capiola et al, 2020 ). Although fluid teams are typically convened to address complex and demanding tasks, little is known regarding how these teams should be assembled to support effective performance in this unique context.…”

Supporting fluid teams: a research agenda

“… Driskell et al (2024) describe one specific type of temporary team as a fluid team comprised of four core characteristics; (1) team members are rapidly assembled to address an immediate problem, (2) members are assembled based on domain expertise and typically have no prior history or experience working together, (3) the team must begin work on a task that is immediate, time-critical, and of short duration, and (4) at completion of the task, the team disbands with little likelihood of further interaction. Such teams have become prevalent in various contexts such as healthcare ( Bell et al, 2023 , this issue; Grossman et al, 2024 , this issue), innovation teams in industry ( Linhardt and Salas, 2023 , this issue), and the military ( Capiola et al, 2020 ).…”