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| Research on the Impact of Entrepreneurial Team Heterogeneity on Team Creativity: A Mediated Moderation Model |
| Hou Fei1,Su Yu1,Zhang Zixuan1,Qi Mingde2 |
| （1.Institute of Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai 519087, China;2.Management School, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510520, China） |
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Abstract Recently, an increasing number of entrepreneurial firms have typically been operated not solely by solo entrepreneurs but rather by entrepreneurial teams. Increasing evidence shows that it is a widespread phenomenon for the foundation and operation of new ventures to be headed by entrepreneurial teams, particularly in high-tech industries. With team entrepreneurship becoming the main form of entrepreneurship, the impact of entrepreneurial team heterogeneity on team creativity has become an important issue in entrepreneurship research. #br#Although the existing research results generally support that team heterogeneity can affect team creativity, the effectiveness of team heterogeneity and underlying mechanism of this effectiveness are still controversial. In this respect, information and decision-making theories indicate that team heterogeneity could lead to increased cognitive processing and better utilization of information. However, some research findings have shown that team heterogeneity fails to always yield to desirable team outcomes such as team creativity. For instance, in light of self-categorization theory, team heterogeneity is likely to attenuate liking, effective communication, cohesiveness, and psychological attachment, and further increase conflict and turnover. Accordingly, these effects might negatively impact team processes and creativity. Extant research shows that the relationship between team heterogeneity and team creativity is more complex than previously thought. Heterogeneity only provides potential for the team creativity, which can be stimulated or inhibited, depending on situational factors. Team creativity is not limited to the individual thinking of team members. It is a dynamic process that depends on organizational interaction, which is affected by organizational situational factors. Thus, when exploring the relationship between team heterogeneity and team creativity, researchers need to pay attention to the influence of mediating or moderating variables.#br#Literatures mainly focus on the underlying mechanism of team interaction process variables (i.e., exchange of information, communication, learning, motivation and negotiation) in the process of transforming team heterogeneity into team creativity. However, few studies have explored the impact of creativity-specific group beliefs on team creativity in the organizational context. The creativity efficacy at the team level emphasizes building the team's common confidence in producing creative results and improving the team's creativity through collective interaction. In particular, entrepreneurial teams are more sensitive to risk, and thus need more common belief and confidence. As such, team creativity efficacy plays a more important role in entrepreneurial teams. Indeed, there is little research on the mediating role of team creativity efficacy between entrepreneurial team heterogeneity and team creativity. Therefore, this study empirically explores the mediating mechanism of team innovation efficacy based on social cognitive theory.#br#The creativity literature indicates that leadership is a key aspect of the context that could influence team creativity. As one of the most influential leadership theories, transformational leadership is theorized to enhance team outputs. In this regard, some researchers denoted that transformational leadership can enhance the creativity of individuals, teams and organizations. However, other researchers argued that transformational leaders pay more attention to the overall interests and welfare of the team, which may reduce the motivation of team members to search for valuable information and weaken the creativity of team members, thus resulting in attenuating the team creativity. Additionally, whether transformational leadership has an impact on the relationship between team heterogeneity and team cognitive constructs also needs further research. Therefore, this study will deeply explore whether and how transformational leadership affects the relationship between entrepreneurial team heterogeneity and team creativity.#br#Along this reasoning, this study takes transformational leadership and team creativity efficacy into the relationship model between entrepreneurial team heterogeneity and team creativity, and proposes a mediated moderation model. Specifically, the research team distributed questionnaires to members of entrepreneurial teams from Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Zhuhai Entrepreneurial and Creative Parks in China, mainly in the industries of telecommunication, electronics, bioengineering, informational technology and service consultation. The structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses show that entrepreneurial team heterogeneity has a positive impact on team creativity; meanwhile, it further confirms that team creativity efficacy plays a mediating role between entrepreneurial team heterogeneity and team creativity; in addition, transformational leadership plays a negative moderating role in the relationship between entrepreneurial team heterogeneity and team creativity efficacy; in particular, the interaction between transformational leadership and entrepreneurial team heterogeneity affects team creativity via team creativity efficacy, thus, there is a mediated moderating effect. #br#This study is based on team level variables to explore the influence mechanism of entrepreneurial team heterogeneity on team creativity. The research conclusion has important practical significance for deepening the understanding of entrepreneurial team heterogeneity and its mechanism, and promoting entrepreneurial team creativity.#br#
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Received: 25 March 2021
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