Win or lose the battle for creativity: The power and perils of intergroup competition

• Main Authors: BAER, Markus, LEENDERS, Roger, OLDHAM, Greg R., Abhijeet K. VADERA
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2010
• Subjects: Creative ability; Intergroup relations; Organizational Behavior and Theory
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/4901; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/lkcsb_research/article/5900/viewcontent/Win_or_lose_Battle_for_creativity_2010_pv.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

Integrating and refining social interdependence theory and structural adaptation theory, we examined the effects of intergroup competition on the creativity of 70 four-person groups engaged in two idea generation tasks. We manipulated both group membership change (change, no change) and intergroup competition level (low, intermediate, high). Competition had the expected U-shaped relation with creativity in open (membership change) groups but failed to produce the hypothesized inverted U-shaped pattern in closed (no membership change) groups. In the latter, effects were positive for low to intermediate competition and flat for intermediate to high levels. Within-group collaboration mediated these effects.