Moderating Role of Creative Climate in the Relationship Between Divergent Thinking Attitudes and Opportunity Assessment Among Project Team Members

Abstract

The Philippines, having emerging market economies that can compete in the global scene, is in dire need of people that have the capacity to identify opportunities when it is present. But with the lack of knowledge in the country tackling the role of creative climate in the process of innovation, and individual creativity. As such, this study tried to answer the question: How does the creativity climate play a moderating role in the relationship between the project teams' divergent thinking attitudes and opportunity assessment abilities? By culling from two other models, Organizational Climate as Intervening Variable and Proposed Model of Managerial Practices and Innovation in E-commerce Organizations, a study framework was built. The researcher measured the attitude toward divergent thinking and the extent of opportunity assessment ability of 101 project team members from 18 various innovative organizations. This was done using a survey questionnaire. Also, the perceived climate of creativity in the project team members' respective organizations were also measured. A descriptive analysis was later on undertaken. Results of the study lend support to the hypotheses identified in the study framework. The following are among the major findings of this research: First, the attitude towards divergent thinking of project team members is generally moderate (Mean=3.05, 5Z)=0.3). Neither gender nor role in a project team has a significant impact on one's divergent thinking attitude. Second, the extent of project team members' ability to assess opportunities is generally high, with a combined mean score 4.11 (SZ)=.O67). Third, divergent thinking attitude is negatively correlated to opportunity assessment (r=-.28). Fourth, the subscales of divergent thinking attitude are negatively correlated with each other. In addition, only Valuing New Ideas (r=-.23) had established a significant relationship with opportunity assessment; Fifth, the mean creative climate score of innovative organizations is 3.91 out of a possible 6.0, which is descriptive of an organization that has a moderately supportive climate for creativity. Lastly, the level of creativity climate influences the relationship between divergent thinking attitudes and opportunity assessment by acting as moderating variable. The results of this study pave the way in maximizing the potential of an organizations5 human resource by looking at project team members. Also this study is able to extend on the line of research on that does not limit it to artistic production, but rather includes creative thinking in the workplace.