Conflict as a driver for transformation in creative teamwork

Abstract

This article offers new perspectives on how diversity can serve as a driver for transformation in creative teamwork at the point of conflict. The majority of professional design work takes place in teams, and the teaching and facilitation of different aspects of creative teamwork is thus of value in design education. Research shows that diversity supports creativity in groups; however, diversity is also the road to possible conflict (Basadur, M. (2004). Leading others to think innovatively together: Creative leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 15, 103–121; Darsø, L. (2001). Innovation in the making. Copenhagen: Samfundslitteratur; Leonard, D., & Straus S. (1997). Putting your company's whole brain to work. Harvard Business Review, 111–121). This article builds on theory and practical applications from the fields of creativity and psychology, as well as a case study where a team of Danish design and Ghanaian art students requests supervision to overcome a conflict. Findings in the present study indicate that helping the team to actively see and appreciate diversity at the point of conflict can lead to transformation at three levels: individual reflection and practice, the relationships and ways of working in the team, and in the project itself, where new choices and opportunities become available.