The Climate for Creativity and Change in Teams

Abstract

We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.-Benjamin Franklin, At the signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.This article reports the results of a study conducted to examine the ability of the Situational Outlook Questionnaire (SOQ TM ) to effectively discern climates that either encourage or discourage creativity and the ability to initiate change in a team setting. The purpose of the study is to examine the concurrent criterion-related validity of the SOQ. The article explores the characteristics in an organisational climate that promote teamwork and some of the tripwires one needs to be aware of in the formation and management of teams. Nine dimensions of the climate for creativity and change as measured by the Situational Outlook Questionnaire are put forward and defined in relation to teams. The methodology and results of the study are reported. The results show that when subjects (N = 154) complete the SOQ based on their recollection of a best-and worst-case team experience, the measure is able to consistently and significantly discriminate between the two types of experiences. Conclusions, implications, and areas for future research to further examine the validity of the SOQ are explored.

The impact of the creative environment on the creative person, process, and product

“…We hypothesize that, since the arts field is connected to arts and design, it may provide experiences to its students that enable them to develop more creative works related to the visual and plastic arts. Past works also mentioned the close relationship between the creative environment and product (Ekvall, 1999;Isaksen & Lauer, 2002;Kumiega, 1992;Miranda & Almeida, 2008;Scritchfield, 1999;Selby, Shaw, & Houtz, 2005).…”

Creative climate as a means to promote creativity in the classroom

“…In the past 10-20 years a large number of investigations used this questionnaire (a) to validate it (Isaksen, Lauer, 2001;Isaksen, 2007), (b) to explore the climate dimensions of individual organizations (Isaksen, Lauer, 2002), (c) to explore its correspondence with other related issues (Isaksen, 2009;Isaksen, Ekvall, 2010; or (d) to describe national or cultural differences in climates (Ekvall, 1996;Mohamed, Richards, 1996). In an interesting piece of research Ekvall and Ryhammar (1999) university about the climate of their organization and the actual level of creativity, and they found a definite relationship between these factors.…”

The Perceived Leader Support Behavior for Subordinate's Creativity: The Moderating Effect of Trust

“…And creativity is novel or originally brain new (uncreative) or an important but useful product, idea or procedure (Oldham and Cumming, 1996). Isaksen and Lauer (2002) believed creativity is a re-hypothesis, revise or remodel the hypothesis to solve the problem. Therefore, the ability of solving unknown problem is called creativity.…”

“…The leader has to trust the ability of employees and employees have to trust the promise of innovation of the leader. Also the research of team climate for innovation believed building a circumstance for developing creativity will be important to include trust and the feeling of safeness (Chandler et al, 2000;Ragazzoni et al, 2002;Isaksen and Lauer, 2002;Smith, 2010). Therefore, if employees feel free to have new ideas and do innovation, then it will be very critical in the trust of leader (Chandler et al, 2000).…”