Positive Group Affect and Team Creativity: Mediation of Team Reflexivity and Promotion Focus

Abstract

The study explores group-level mechanisms linking positive group affective tone (PGAT) and team creativity. Drawing on Paulus and Dzindolet's group creativity model and the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, the mediating roles of team reflexivity and team promotion focus were examined. Survey data were collected from the leaders and members of 98 work teams in South Korea. Structural equation modeling results showed that when controlling for negative group affective tone, PGAT was significantly associated with team creativity. Furthermore, team reflexivity and team promotion focus fully mediated the relationship between PGAT and team creativity, and this effect held when team prevention focus was controlled for. The findings provide meaningful insights into the roles of team reflexivity and team promotion focus as critical social-cognitive and social-motivational processes in the group affect-creativity relationship.