Creativity in Virtual Teams: The Role of Task Type and Foreign Language Use

Abstract

Creative teamwork frequently takes place in virtual teams. Both in domestic and cross-border work settings, these teams increasingly often comprise employees who have different native languages, prompting many teams to adopt a common team language, which is a non-native language for many members. Yet, the effects on different types of team creative tasks of working virtually and in a foreign language have remained under-explored. This study addresses how the use of modern synchronous technology affects creative performance in different task types, and how this effect differs depending on foreign or native language. Results are based on an experimental study with 95 dyadic virtual and face-to-face teams, randomly assigned to work in a foreign or native language. Virtual teams outperformed face-to-face teams on verbal creative tasks only when working in a foreign language. Face-to-face teams performed better on nonverbal creative tasks, independent of the language used. Further, tentative evidence suggests that the verbal creative performance of virtual compared to face-to-face teams benefits more from higher team foreign language proficiency but is also more adversely affected by team foreign language anxiety.