Assessing the climate for creativity in virtual teams

This chapter describes the preliminary development and testing of a survey instrument, the Virtual Team Creative Climate (VTCC) instrument, designed to assess the work environment for creativity for virtual teams. The VTCC is made up of eleven scales representative of dimensions that influence virtual team members' creativity: acceptance of ideas and constructive tension; challenge; collaboration; dedication commitment; freedom; goal clarity; information sharing; management encouragement; personal bond; sufficient resources and time; and trust. The eleven scales are then collapsed into three broader essential components necessary for virtual team creativity: connection, raw materials, and management and team member skills (Nemiro, 1998, 2000). To test the reliability of the VTCC, the instrument was given to 77 management students, who also gave feedback on its design, format, and wording of questions. All eleven scales are described in detail, and reliability levels and sample items are also included. In addition, a sample graphic display of feedback from the VTCC is presented. It is suggested that the VTCC can be a valuable diagnostic tool for assessing the environment of creativity in a virtual team, and for suggesting areas for improvement.