Leading the creative process: the case of virtual product design

• Author: Niki Panteli,Petros Chamakiotis
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/ntwe.12081
• Published date: 01 March 2017
• Date: 01 March 2017

28 New Technology, Work and Employment © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd

New Technology, Work and Employment 32:1

ISSN 1468-005X

Leading the creative process: the case of

virtual product design

Petros Chamakiotis and Niki Panteli

Motivated by an acknowledged need to study creativity in the

context of virtual project teams (VPTs), in this article, we con-

tribute to theory by analysing the role that leadership plays

for creativity in the different phases of the creative process in

VPTs. We draw on a qualitative case study with 49 members

who worked in six VPTs as part of an Industry- Academia col-

laboration. Using the longitudinal approach, we study each

phase of the virtual product design process using interviews,

observations and other materials (e.g. project documentation).

We find that, in the virtual design context, creativity is best

understood as a process and comes in different shapes as this

process evolves. We also pinpoint that different, though com-

plementary, leadership skills are necessary in order for VPTs’

creative potential to be unleashed. These findings highlight the

heterogeneous character of leadership at the different phases of

the creative process in VPTs.

Keywords: virtual project teams, dispersed teams, leadership,

creativity, creative process, creative leadership, virtual product

design.

Introduction

Virtual project teams (VPTs) have become an increasingly popular form of project or-

ganisation (Holtgrewe, 2014; Yeow, 2014). They emerged as a response to a highly

competitive global business arena, wherein organisations are expected to capitalise on

global expertise, cross- cultural collaboration and time differences (Cascio, 2000). As

such, VPTs are expected to bring together the best talent regardless of location. This

ability adds diversity to VPT membership and has been seen as an opportunity for

creativity (Schmidt et al., 2001; Shachaf, 2008). Several empirical studies exist that show

that VPTs are set up in order to promote creativity, such as to develop new and novel

product designs (e.g. Schmidt et al., 2001; Nemiro, 2002; Chamakiotis et al., 2013),

while, more recently, Gilson et al. (2015) have asserted that creativity in VPTs deserves

further research. What is lacking in the current literature is an understanding of the

role of VPT leaders in supporting creativity. With product design as an empirical con-

text, in this article, we aim to explore the role of leadership in the creative process that

takes place within VPTs.

Dr Petros Chamakiotis (P.Chamakiotis@sussex.ac.uk) is a Lecturer in Information Systems in the

School of Business, Management and Economics at the University of Sussex. His research interests

include virtual teams, creativity, leadership and work–life boundaries in the digital age.

Prof Niki Panteli (Niki.Panteli@rhul.ac.uk) is a Professor of Information Systems at Royal Holloway

University of London, School of Management. Her main research interests lie in the area of IT- enabled

transformation, virtual teams, virtual collaborations and online community interactions.