How passion drives or inhibits team innovation

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In companies, innovative ideas often come from teams. That’s why it’s so important to have team members who are excited and focused on projects that lead to innovation. But new research by Hui Liao of the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business shows that overly passionate team members, especially those who become obsessive, can actually impede innovation. may be suppressed.
“Innovation is more than just persistence and grit,” Liao says. “It’s also important for teams to be able to rethink and adjust their approach as needed, which is where relentless passion can become a barrier to team innovation. It prevents reflection and flexibility.”
Liao’s research, published in the Summer 2024 issue of Human Resources Psychology with four co-authors, investigated the dynamics of passion within more than 280 work teams. Researchers found that two types of passion, harmonious and obsessive, have contrasting effects on teams’ ability to reflect, adapt, and innovate.
“When working on a project, the more engaged your team members are, the better.” Liao says. “However, our research shows that teams can benefit from pausing from time to time to reflect on their progress and reconsider their strategy.”
This process of reflection and discussion is what Liao and his coauthors call team reflexivity. Reflexivity allows teams to step back and evaluate goals, evaluate strategies, and consider alternative approaches. However, teams driven by obsessive passion can struggle with this.
“Relentlessly passionate team members feel an obsession to keep moving forward, often at the expense of flexibility,” Liao points out. “The urge is so strong that they have difficulty stopping it, which limits their ability to reflect.”
In contrast, harmonious passion is better at fostering innovation in teams, she says. With this kind of passion, people are still excited about the idea but are able to control themselves and balance it with other goals and activities.
“Team members with harmonious passion know when to engage and when to step back and reconsider,” Liao explains. “This balance fosters team reflexivity and ultimately fosters greater innovation.”
So how can team leaders manage the mix of passions within their teams to foster innovation? Liao suggests several strategies.
Maintain a balance of passion within your team. Consider individual tendencies when building your team. If some team members have obsessive-compulsive tendencies, balance them out with others who have a more harmonious approach. Enthusiastic team members can bring important value such as technical expertise and strong connections, but to remain adaptable your team needs members who are more flexible and open to new ideas. It is important to make sure that. Deal with compulsive behavior. Observe your team’s activities and call out any compulsive behaviors you spot. Sometimes people are not aware of their own tendencies. When these behaviors are recognized, team members are more likely to make the necessary adjustments. Encourage reflection. Team leaders should organize regular team reflection activities. Create a safe environment where members feel free to share, disagree, or suggest different ideas. By encouraging everyone to contribute ideas and actively listening to team members, you can greatly improve your team’s ability to reflect and innovate.
Details: Xin Wei et al., Does passion matter for team innovation? Conditional indirect effects of obsessive passion through team harmony and team reflexivity, Human Resource Psychology (2023). DOI: 10.1111/peps.12584
Provided by University of Maryland
Quote: How Passion Can Drive or Derail Team Innovation (October 4, 2024) From https://phys.org/news/2024-10-passion-derails-team.html on October 5, 2024 acquisition
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