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Cross-level impact of team goal orientation and individual goal orientation on individual creativity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2018

Jian Zhang ,
Ming Ji ,
Ch. Mahmood Anwar ,
Quanxi Li  and
Guanghua Fu
Jian Zhang
Affiliation:
School of Management, Jilin University, Jilin, China
Ming Ji*
Affiliation:
School of Marxism, Jilin University, Jilin, China
Ch. Mahmood Anwar*
Affiliation:
Scholars Index, Jersey City, NJ, USA The Methodologists, Islamabad, Pakistan
Quanxi Li
Affiliation:
School of Management, Jilin University, Jilin, China
Guanghua Fu
Affiliation:
School of Management, Jilin University, Jilin, China
*
Corresponding authors: Mahmood.Anwar@scholarsindex.com; mingji.phd@messagesafe.io.
Corresponding authors: Mahmood.Anwar@scholarsindex.com; mingji.phd@messagesafe.io.
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Abstract

This study explored how individual and team-level goal orientation influence individual creativity in a work setting. By creating a cross-level theoretical framework, we tested 562 members of 81 teams currently working in various companies in China. The study analyzed the relationships between individual goal orientation, team goal orientation, and individual creativity from cross-level perspective linked by motivated information processing theory. Applying multilevel research method and hierarchical-level modeling, we found that team learning goal orientation and individual learning goal orientation influence individual creativity through different information activities at their own levels. Moreover, team learning goal orientation has a positive and team performance-avoidance goal orientation has a negative effect on individual creativity through team information exchange, while individual learning goal orientation poses a positive effect on individual creativity through individual information elaboration. In conclusion, it was indicated that team members tend to elaborate more work-related information when teams are more learning-orientated. Conversely, team members do not tend to elaborate information when their team has higher performance-avoidance goal orientation.

Keywords

individual goal orientationteam goal orientationindividual creativityindividual information elaborationteam information exchange
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 26 , Issue 5 , September 2020 , pp. 677 - 699
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2018

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