Bridging representational gaps in functionally diverse teams: the roles of information elaboration and perspective taking on team creativity

Abstract

As a result of differences in knowledge, conflicting interpretations of new knowledge, and incompatible views among team members, problem-solving in organizations may be difficult, and be further impeded by the lack of or limited sharing of knowledge. It is vital for team members to leverage the differentiated knowledge in order to make the different perspectives more compatible and complementary to achieving team goals. With limited research on the often underestimated interaction processes between team members during problem solving exercises, this study examined information elaboration and perspective taking as interaction processes that team members engaged in during a problem-solving exercise. Data collected from an organizational behavior simulation conducted using the Lego® Serious Play™ was used to examine the interaction processes, and their effect on team creativity.