Chapter 6 - Don’t call it collaboration! Reframing creative success in teams from the perspective of participatory creativity

Abstract

This chapter differentiates between collaboration and participation and makes a case for participation as being the key to creative success in teams. Viewed from the perspective of participatory creativity, a participatory approach to the creative work of teams emphasizes the distributed efforts of many individuals, each of whom play unique roles as they endeavor to collectively achieve a common purpose. After situating the concept of participatory creativity within the literature on social and cultural approaches to creativity, this chapter provides several examples of participatory approaches to the creative work of teams, including a brief case study of participatory creativity in action. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the prospects of more participatory approaches to teamwork—as well as some pitfalls to look out for along the way. Ultimately, this chapter argues that it is necessary to shift away from the popular concept of collaboration to favor more participatory approaches to practice.