Diversity and Creativity in Teams: How Leaders and Group Members Manage the Inherent Paradoxes

Abstract

Creativity is a strongly context related, collective and collaborative task across multiple boundaries that are of immaterial and material nature. Numerous factors play a role in the emergence of creativity. Leadership styles and diversity have undoubtedly an impact on team creativity. Creative teams face many processes inherent paradoxes which leaders and members need to balance and overcome together. According to the observations and research findings discussed in this chapter, effective management of diversity for creativity requires a ‘humble leadership’ style as well as different communication competencies and strategies. This book chapter provides theoretical and practical insights for those responsible for diversity management in creative teams, based on two empirical studies conducted between 2019 and 2022. Competencies and strategies are presented that may help leaders and teams navigate through highly dynamic, paradoxical interaction processes and, thus, turn their diversity into a creativity asset. In addition, a glimpse of the Team Creativity Navigator (TCN) is offered, which is a new assessment and development tool that supports leaders’ and team members’ learning processes for inclusive, creativity enhancing collaboration. As such, our chapter is an empirically based conceptual contribution with the objective of providing practitioners (and researchers) with insights into appropriate strategies to boost creativity in diverse teams.

Citation

Stalder, P., Nussbaum, J. and Glăveanu, V. (2023), "Diversity and Creativity in Teams: How Leaders and Group Members Manage the Inherent Paradoxes", Jensen, K.R., Kaudela-Baum, S. and Sheffield, R. (Ed.) Innovation Leadership in Practice: How Leaders Turn Ideas into Value in a Changing World, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 121-140. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83753-396-120231007