Group Affect and Creativity

The role of affect in individual creativity is well established in extensive theory and empirical research. Scholars have proven that positive and negative feelings can promote creativity due to psychological processes associated with information processing and motivation. However, the function of group-level affect, namely, the shared feelings experienced among members of the same groups, for the same outcomes, have received limited attention in research and practice. This chapter addresses this dearth of knowledge by examining and summarizing the studies available in this field of inquiry and proposing a theoretical elaboration to better understand why group-level affect matters for creativity in groups. Based on this work, we propose that the influences of group affect on creativity outcomes occur through social integration mechanisms such as cohesion, trust, and collaboration. Finally, we identify and suggest future opportunities for research.