Intergroup power dynamics during the idea journey: A two‐way relationship between power and social identity

Abstract

Organizational creativity has been described as a dynamic process throughout which an idea is framed by the interactions between idea supporters and audiences. Such interactions involve different forms of power, which determine what is considered creative by the involved audiences and their commitment to the idea journey. Power can then be a productive or repressive force for the creative process. However, we lack of an understanding of the particular circumstances that explain those two processes. Social psychology works, which have already demonstrated the influence of power on group identification and vice versa, offer a promising approach. Thus, we offer a new perspective by questioning the relations between power, social identification and creativity. We highlight different scenarios concerning the exercise of power that explain levels of commitment to ideas. We also stress the impacts of power on identity attributes and how they frame cross‐cutting identities. Finally, we explain how power emerges from confrontations among groups invoking different attributes and the resulting outcomes. In doing so, we demonstrate the existence of a two‐way relationship between power and social identity during the idea journey.