Collective efficacy as a mediator between cooperative group norms and group positive affect and team creativity

In spite of a growing body of research on creativity in team contexts, very few researchers have paid attention to the team-level antecedents and mediating processes of team creativity. To fill this gap, drawing on social cognitive theory and Dzindolet’s group creativity process model, this study examined cooperative group norms and group positive affect as antecedents of team creativity and explored collective efficacy as an intermediary mechanism between these relationships. The current study was conducted with 97 work teams from 12 different South Korean organizations. As predicted, the results demonstrated that cooperative group norms and group positive affect were positively associated with team creativity, and that collective efficacy mediated these relationships. The findings offer theoretical and practical implications regarding the creativity of work teams.