This study proposes a new kind of team creativity model in which two main components, knowledge network structures and computer-mediated communication, are incorporated. Knowledge network structures assume that individuals will show a different perfor ...
This study proposes a new kind of team creativity model in which two main components, knowledge network structures and computer-mediated communication, are incorporated. Knowledge network structures assume that individuals will show a different performance according to their position in the complicated knowledge network resulting from interactions among the team members. Computer-mediated communication (CMC) is very popular in the modern working environment. For example, emails, chat messenger, and other Internet-based communication belong to this category. When the computer-mediated communication is local, that means that individuals tend to communicate only with a very limited number of people. Broad CMC, however, indicates that individuals are communicating with people outside of their team’s boundary to exchange a wide range of information. Furthermore, we have to consider the task complexity as a moderating factor because team creativity level would change depending on the task complexity (Satzinger, Garfield, & Nagasundaram, 1999). In a nutshell, this study proposes a new kind or research model investigating the team creativity model by referring to knowledge network structures and computer-mediated communication. To see an effect of task complexity which always exercises a certain amount of influence on team members, task complexity is included as a moderating factor. Furthermore, we adopt a multi-agent simulation approach to investigate temporal behavior of the team creativity which is hard to analyze in a survey research method. Therefore, the main purposes of this study are (1) to propose such a team creativity model by synthesizing knowledge network structures and computer-mediated communication modes, and (2) to apply the MAS (Multi-Agent Simulation) to the proposed team creativity model to see how the team creativity is generated over time.
For the sake of MAS experiments. we assumed that a target organization consists of 20 teams. The total number of members is assumed to be 300, and one team may hold a certain number of team members according to the random logic given by the MAS. One time-lag is set to one month, and the total time-lag is fixed at 120 months, i.e., 10 years. The CMC mode is divided into local and broad mode, and LUC indicates local use of CMC and BUC broad use of CMC. When the task complexity is low, regression results show that CMC and structural hole have negative coefficients on team creativity, while degree centrality influences team creativity positively with a coefficient 1.030. When the task complexity is low, there is no urgent need for heavily depending on communication effectiveness and a person who has a special access to important information for works. Rather, if CMC value and structural hole increase, it will affect team creativity negatively because high CMC and structural hole tend to waste time and efforts considering the low complexity of tasks. On the contrary, in the case of high task complexity, for the tasks to get done properly, workers will need specific and important information that are to be obtained from a broad communication network as well as such liaison people who plays as a brokerage role and has an access to some people outside team who are believed to possess crucial information and knowledge. Therefore, CMC and structural hole have positive coefficients on team creativity when the task complexity is high. Meanwhile, degree centrality is different. Regardless of task complexity level, those workers who have high degree centrality would get their works done very effectively, based on their information which is directed towards them through network.