Enhancing Team Creativity through Psychological Safety and P.A.S.S.
Open Access
- Author:
- Cooperstein, Jessica Nicole
- Area of Honors:
- Psychology
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Dr. Samuel Todd Hunter, Thesis Supervisor
Dr. Jeffrey M Love, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- creativity
innovation
teams
psychological safety
P.A.S.S. - Abstract:
- Organizations consistently rely on teams of individuals to perform specific creative tasks, and the resulting innovation is critical for organizational success. While scholars have devoted attention to understanding the creative process and environmental factors at the individual level, it is important for employers to recognize the dynamics at play at the group level that can be harnessed to foster creative performance. Previous research suggests that both psychological safety and a moderate level of conflict can be beneficial for team creative work. The current study attempts to understand the group-level factors underlying creative success by implementing a new intervention called the P.A.S.S. (Partner Advocacy Support System) Technique. P.A.S.S. was developed to maximize the potential benefits of psychological safety and task conflict on group creativity. In this study, 250 participants were placed in groups of 3 to 4 members each, and teams were assessed on their creative performance. Findings indicated that psychological safety and the use of the P.A.S.S. technique in groups improved creative quality in the teams. This suggests that a climate-based intervention can be successful in enhancing creative performance in groups.