The effect of cooperative team culture on innovation

Rieger, Verena; Klarmann, Martin


Abstract

Although companies often use teams in innovation processes, the question whether cooperation in groups is helpful or harmful to innovation development has been debated for years. This paper addresses this question using three studies: a lab experiment, an online experiment, and a field study. The present research expects a U-shaped effect of cooperative culture on the market potential of a team’s ideas, based on Steiner’s classical model of group productivity. The results reveal a U-shaped effect, as predicted, indicating that, to help groups generate ideas with high market potential, groups’ culture should be either highly cooperative or not at all cooperative. The three studies, which are conducted on the group and individual levels, help to disentangle the processes and outcomes that group culture triggers.

Keywords
Team culture; Cooperative culture; Team Innovation; Experimental design



Publication type
Research article (journal)

Peer reviewed
Yes

Publication status
Published

Year
2022

Journal
Journal of Business Research

Volume
144

Start page
1256

End page
1271

ISSN
0148-2963

DOI