The mediating role of identity fit: understanding the relationship between communication media, demographic differences, and creativity

Four recent trends (increased diversity, increased use of teams, increased use of a variety of communication media, and increased focus on creative output) have created a need for understanding how diversity and communication media influence individuals, their interactions within groups, and their influence on creativity. In previous work, the concept of identity fit was developed to explain how the psychological mechanisms inherent in group work and the situational effects defined by the team and organizational context interact to determine individual outcomes. The current study looks at the extent to which communication media and demographic diversity predict creativity. Identity fit is predicted to mediate the relationships between the antecedents and creativity. Results of a field study show that communication media and demographic differences have a significant effect on creativity. Identity fit mediated the relationship between communication media and creativity. Implications of these results are discussed.

[1]  G. R. Oldham,et al.  Employee Creativity: Personal and Contextual Factors at Work , 1996 .

[2]  Richard L. Daft,et al.  Organizational information requirements, media richness and structural design , 1986 .

[3]  Jeffrey T. Polzer,et al.  Diversity, Social Indentity, and Performance: Emergent Social Dynamics in Cross-functional Teams , 1995 .

[4]  Clint Chadwick,et al.  TO AGREE OR NOT TO AGREE: THE EFFECTS OF VALUE CONGRUENCE, INDIVIDUAL DEMOGRAPHIC DISSIMILARITY, AND CONFLICT ON WORKGROUP OUTCOMES , 1997 .

[5]  T. Cook,et al.  Quasi-experimentation: Design & analysis issues for field settings , 1979 .

[6]  R. Z. Norman,et al.  Status Characteristics and Social Interaction. , 1978 .

[7]  P. Thoits,et al.  On merging identity theory and stress research , 1991 .

[8]  Teresa M. Amabile,et al.  A Model of Creativity and Innovation in Organizations , 1988 .

[9]  R. Hyman.  Quasi-Experimentation: Design and Analysis Issues for Field Settings (Book) , 1982 .

[10]  A. V. D. Ven,et al.  Central problems in the management of innovation , 1986 .

[11]  Jeffrey K. Liker,et al.  Electronic Meeting Systems: Evidence from a Low Structure Environment , 1992, Inf. Syst. Res..

[12]  R. Gallupe,et al.  Unblocking brainstorms. , 1991, The Journal of applied psychology.

[13]  R. Daft,et al.  Understanding Managers' Media Choices: A Symbolic Interactionist Perspective , 1990 .

[14]  T. M. Amabile.  The social psychology of creativity , 1984 .

[15]  Douglas E. Shook,et al.  RELATIONSHIPS OF JOB CATEGORIES AND ORGANIZATIONAL LEVELS TO USE OF COMMUNICATION CHANNELS, INCLUDING ELECTRONIC MAIL: A META-ANALYSIS AND EXTENSION* , 1990 .

[16]  Merrill Warkentin,et al.  Virtual Teams versus Face-to-Face Teams: An Exploratory Study of a Web-based Conference System* , 1997 .

[17]  W. P. Barnett,et al.  Work group demography, social integration, and turnover. , 1989 .

[18]  Peter A. Bamberger,et al.  Status inconsistency in organizations: From social hierarchy to stress , 1993 .

[19]  Frances J. Milliken,et al.  Searching for Common Threads: Understanding the Multiple Effects of Diversity in Organizational Groups , 1996 .

[20]  Jolene Galegher,et al.  Computer-Mediated Communication for Intellectual Teamwork: An Experiment in Group Writing , 1994, Inf. Syst. Res..

[21]  Teresa M. Amabile,et al.  Assessing the Work Environment for Creativity , 1996 .

[22]  Terri L. Griffith,et al.  Media Effects and Communication Bias in Diverse Groups , 1997 .

[23]  L. Offermann,et al.  Organizations of the future: Changes and challenges. , 1990 .

[24]  J. McGrath,et al.  Group Task Performance and Communication Technology , 1993 .

[25]  D. A. Kenny,et al.  The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. , 1986, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[26]  David A. Morand.  Dominance, Deference, and Egalitarianism in Organizational Interaction: A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Power and Politeness , 1996 .

[27]  J. W. McCormick,et al.  Computer friends and foes: Content of undergraduates' electronic mail , 1992 .

[28]  J. Valacich,et al.  Computer brainstorms: More heads are better than one. , 1993 .

[29]  G. Northcraft,et al.  You have printed the following article : Why Differences Make a Difference : A Field Study of Diversity , Conflict , and Performance in Workgroups , 2007 .

[30]  Barbara A. Gutek,et al.  Demographic Differences in Organizations: Current Research and Future Directions , 1999 .

[31]  S. Thatcher,et al.  Do you really know me? The implications of identity fit for diverse workteams , 2000 .

[32]  Richard T. Watson,et al.  Group Decision Support Systems and Group Communication , 1993 .

[33]  Phyllis Tharenou,et al.  Self-Esteem at Work , 1989 .

[34]  J. Brockner.  Self-Esteem at Work: Research, Theory and Practice , 1988 .

[35]  James L. McKenney,et al.  Social Context and Interaction in Ongoing Computer-Supported Management Groups , 1995 .

[36]  Catherine Kirchmeyer.  Demographic similarity to the work group: A longitudinal study of managers at the early career stage , 1995 .

[37]  Christine M. Riordan.  ADVANCING RELATIONAL DEMOGRAPHY THEORY: A CONSTRUCT VALIDITY STUDY OF THREE MEASURES OF DEMOGRAPHIC SIMILARITY. , 1997 .

[38]  Todd R. Zenger,et al.  Organizational Demography: The Differential Effects of Age and Tenure Distributions on Technical Communication , 1989 .

[39]  Poppy Lauretta McLeod,et al.  An Assessment of the Experimental Literature on Electronic Support of Group Work: Results of a Meta-Analysis , 1992, Hum. Comput. Interact..

[40]  Sherry K. Schneider,et al.  COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION AND SOCIAL INFORMATION: STATUS SALIENCE AND STATUS DIFFERENCES , 1995 .

[41]  S. Kiesler,et al.  Group decision making and communication technology , 1992 .

[42]  Sara Kiesler,et al.  Social psychological aspects of computer-mediated communication , 1984 .

[43]  S. Jackson,et al.  Some differences make a difference: Individual dissimilarity and group heterogeneity as correlates of recruitment, promotions, and turnover. , 1991 .

[44]  J. McGrath.  Groups interacting with technology: the complex and dynamic fit of group, task, technology, and time , 1992, CSCW '92.

[45]  A. Tsui,et al.  Being different: Relational demography and organizational attachment. , 1991 .

[46]  J. Hackman,et al.  The design of work teams , 1987 .

[47]  S. Stryker,et al.  STATUS INCONSISTENCY AND ROLE CONFLICT , 1978 .

[48]  Suzanne P. Weisband,et al.  Evaluating self and others in electronic and face-to-face groups. , 1999 .

[49]  W. Buxton.  Human-Computer Interaction , 1988, Springer Berlin Heidelberg.