The Effect of Problem Construction on Team Process and Creativity

Abstract

Although research on the benefits of problem construction within the creative process is expanding, research on team problem construction is limited. This study investigates the cognitive process of problem construction and identification at the team level through an experimental design. Furthermore, this study explores team social processes in relation to problem construction instructions. Using student teams solving a real-world problem, the results of this study revealed that teams that engaged in problem construction and identification generated more original ideas than teams that did not engage in such processes. Moreover, higher satisfaction and lower conflict was observed among groups that engaged in problem construction compared to groups that did not engage in problem construction. These findings highlight the utility of problem construction for teams engaging in creative problem-solving.

The Living and Working Together Perspective on Creativity in Organizations

“…In support of this hypothesis, there are correlations present (albeit not particularly high) with the organizational management and the work purpose. Thus, these correlations, indicating the presence of a link between the constructs, confirm results already found in the literature (Pil and Cohen, 2006;Avery et al, 2007;Chavez and Weisinger, 2008;Kravitz, 2008;McKay et al, 2008;Talke et al, 2011;Reiter-Palmon and Murugavel, 2018) that in terms of creativity and innovation, the organizational culture of difference may play a role and needs to be deepened. Thus, OCD is the result of the internalization of systems of meanings, which allows professionals to orient themselves within the organization.…”

“…Amabile et al (2005) theorized an "organizational affect-creativity cycle, " which assumes that positive and negative affects lead to cognitive variation, which can increase or decrease creativity. Ramamoorth et al (2005) suggests that the perceived obligation to innovate is influenced by three organizational factors: psychological contract, job design, and organizational justice.…”

The Role of Problem Construction in Creative Production

“…Work by Reiter‐Palmon and colleagues has found, in one study (Reiter‐Palmon et al., ), that teams that were instructed to actively engage in problem construction were less creative than teams that were not. However, in a second study (Reiter‐Palmon, ), the opposite was found—teams that engaged in problem construction generated more original solutions than teams that did not engage in the process.…”

Teams in Small Organizations: Conceptual, Methodological, and Practical Considerations

“…In addition, communication has been found to influence other relevant teamwork characteristics such as shared mental model, trust and conflict. Effective and positive communication has been found to facilitate the development of shared mental models and trust, and reduce conflict ( Reiter-Palmon and Murugavel, 2018 ).…”