Intercultural relationships and creativity: Current research and future directions

• Main Authors: WIRUCHNIPAWAN, Fon, CHUA, Roy Y. J.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2018
• Subjects: Creativity; Cultural diversity; Intercultural relations; Multicultural networks; Teams; Human Resources Management; Organizational Behavior and Theory
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/5868
• Institution: Singapore Management University

In the global economy, individuals have to engage in cross-cultural interactions when tasked to develop creative new products or services. Research on the effects of cultural diversity on creativity, however, has been equivocal. One stream of research champions that cultural diversity in relationships broadens ideas and resources for creative thinking, whereas skeptics counter that intercultural tensions and conflicts hurt rather than help. This chapter discusses both sides of the argument. We examine the effects of intercultural relationships on creativity from three perspectives: (a) how a culturally diverse social environment (including social networks) influences individuals’ creativity; (b) how individuals can successfully engage in intercultural dyadic creative collaboration; and (c) how intercultural relationships influence creativity of multicultural teams. In addition, we investigate the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions of how intercultural relationships impact creative performance. We conclude by integrating ideas from existing research and proposing new research directions.