IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/inm/ormnsc/v71y2025i9p8007-8026.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Effect of Functional Diversity on Team Creativity: Behavioral and fNIRS Evidence

Author

Listed:
  • Yasheng Chen

    (School of Management, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China)

  • Adam Presslee

    (School of Accounting and Finance, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada)

  • Sue Yang

    (Lyons School of Accounting, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409)

Abstract

Variation in functional expertise is an important decision that managers face when designing teams tasked with being creative. We develop theory that predicts that functional diversity has countervailing effects on team creativity through its positive (negative) effect on the uniqueness (usefulness) of the proposals generated. We conduct an experiment where functionally homogeneous or heterogeneous two-person teams are tasked with proposing a creative use for an unused university space. We measure the uniqueness, usefulness, and overall creativity of team proposals. We also use functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) neuroimaging technology to investigate the underlying team cognitive processes. Measured outcomes and fNIRS data support our predictions. Combining conventional experiment and advanced neuroimaging techniques, our study informs theory and practice by providing evidence of how functional diversity affects team creativity.

Suggested Citation

  • Yasheng Chen & Adam Presslee & Sue Yang, 2025. "The Effect of Functional Diversity on Team Creativity: Behavioral and fNIRS Evidence," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 71(9), pages 8007-8026, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:71:y:2025:i:9:p:8007-8026
    DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.2023.02157
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.02157
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1287/mnsc.2023.02157?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:71:y:2025:i:9:p:8007-8026. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Asher (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/inforea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.