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Follow the crowd in a new direction: When conformity pressure facilitates group creativity (and when it does not)

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  • Goncalo, Jack A.
  • Duguid, Michelle M.

Abstract

Adopting a person by situation interaction approach, we identified conditions under which conformity pressure can either stifle or boost group creativity depending on the joint effects of norm content and group personality composition. Using a 2×2×2 experimental design, we hypothesized and found that pressure to adhere to an individualistic norm boosted creativity in groups whose members scored low on the Creative Personality Scale (Gough, 1979), but stifled creativity in groups whose members scored high on that measure. Our findings suggest that conformity pressure may be a viable mechanism for boosting group creativity, but only among those who lack creative talent.

Suggested Citation

  • Goncalo, Jack A. & Duguid, Michelle M., 2012. "Follow the crowd in a new direction: When conformity pressure facilitates group creativity (and when it does not)," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 118(1), pages 14-23.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jobhdp:v:118:y:2012:i:1:p:14-23
    DOI: 10.1016/j.obhdp.2011.12.004
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Krause, Verena & Goncalo, Jack A. & Tadmor, Carmit T., 2021. "Divine inhibition: Does thinking about God make monotheistic believers less creative?," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 158-178.
    3. Zhu, Lily Yuxuan & Bauman, Christopher W. & Young, Maia J, 2023. "Unlocking creative potential: Reappraising emotional events facilitates creativity for conventional thinkers," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    4. Dongil D. Keum & Kelly E. See, 2017. "The Influence of Hierarchy on Idea Generation and Selection in the Innovation Process," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 28(4), pages 653-669, August.
    5. Super, Janice Francis & Li, Pingshu & Ishqaidef, Ghadir & Guthrie, James P., 2016. "Group rewards, group composition and information sharing: A motivated information processing perspective," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 31-44.
    6. Meub, Lukas & Proeger, Till, 2014. "An experimental study on social anchoring," University of Göttingen Working Papers in Economics 196, University of Goettingen, Department of Economics.
    7. Rieger, Verena & Klarmann, Martin, 2022. "The effect of cooperative team culture on innovation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 1256-1271.
    8. Zixiang Ma & Lirong Long & Yong Zhang & Junwei Zhang & Catherine K. Lam, 2017. "Why do high-performance human resource practices matter for team creativity? The mediating role of collective efficacy and knowledge sharing," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 34(3), pages 565-586, September.
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