Formalization Structure and Team Creativity in High Tech Firms

The Mediating Role of Task Conflict

Abstract

This research paper investigated the effect of the role of formalization structure on team creativity mediated by task conflict. The object of this research is high tech organizations in China, while the subject is 417 employees in 67 teams and 55 team leaders. Data was gathered through a questionnaire in two waves, first, through the employees’ survey questionnaires administered to team members and three months later to team leaders. The measurements were assessed using the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) in SPSS, and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was conducted using AMOS version 23. A multiple linear regression model was fitted to the data to test how far structure affects team creativity using the SPSS 24.0 version. Findings indicated that the formalization structure affects team creativity, and that task conflict mediated the relationship between formalization structure and team creativity. Thus, teams with a formalization structure have moderate task conflict, which in turn contribution towards team creativity.