Creative teams: an educational intervention to develop creativity with the utilization of information and communication technologies (ICTs)

Abstract

Over the past decades, many researchers have proposed various methods for creativity enhancement. However, most of these methods focused on children and adolescents. In the present study an original creativity enhancement intervention was constructed and implemented in an Information Systems course with participants students. The game-like, challenging, web-based and team-structured intervention suggests generation of open essay questions by students as main creativity enhancement method. Also, we investigated how personality traits and tendencies of the members and the leader, combined and incorporated into the ‘team personality’, influence teamwork and the creative product. Creativity was measured with pre-post Divergent Thinking tests and evaluation of products with the Consensual Assessment Technique. Personality was assessed with the International Personality Item Pool questionnaire. Additional data were collected with demographic and evaluation questionnaires. Results show that the intervention was effective in stimulating creativity. Also, statistical analysis indicates a negative link between neuroticism and elaboration, and a positive correlation between originality measured by tests and creativity dimensions of the product. Findings also revealed a negative link between extraversion and the creative product, and teams with more sociable, risky and independent members to exhibit less creative productivity. Leaders scored higher on openness to experience and lower on neuroticism, compared to other team members. Also, leaders’ extraversion was positively linked to agreeableness and negatively to the team’s creative outcome. Team personality elevation of extraversion and diversity of agreeableness predicted significantly the value of the creative product. We discuss implications and offer suggestions for future research.