Psychological Safety Climate and Self-Managing Team Innovation Process: The Role of Constructive Controversy and Authority Differentiation

• Published in: Group dynamics 2024-12, Vol.28 (4), p.309-324
• Main Authors: Gao, Ruoyu, Peng, Chao, Wang, Xiao-Hua (Frank), Wan, Zeying
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Authority; Cooperative Learning; Female; Human; Innovation; Male; Psychological Safety; Role Perception; Self-Managing Work Teams
• ISSN: 1089-2699; 1930-7802
• DOI: 10.1037/gdn0000214

Objective: This study aims to reveal the innovation process of self-managing teams. We investigate the relationship between perceived team psychological safety climate and team innovation in self-managing teams, with a focus on the mediating role of perceived team constructive controversy and the moderating role of perceived authority differentiation. Method: To test our model, we collected cross-sectional survey data from 41 indie bands in China and asked band members to reflect upon their general collaboration experiences with their teammates. Results: Team psychological safety climate is positively related to team constructive controversy, which interacts with authority differentiation to influence team innovation, such that team constructive controversy is positively related to team innovation only when authority differentiation is high. Conclusions: This study extends our understanding of the innovation process of self-managing teams. Highlights and Implications * Using 41 real-world indie bands as a sample, this article explores the innovation process within self-managing teams. * Team psychological safety climate is positively related to team constructive controversy. * Authority differentiation is an important boundary condition which moderates the relationship between constructive controversy and team innovation. * Both constructive controversy and authority differentiation are relevant to the internal innovation process of self-managing teams. Self-managing teams should implement intervention measures to promote psychological safety climate and encourage the emergence of informal leadership to achieve team innovation.