Developing creativity in global virtual teams

In spite of the attention that creativity in organizational studies has received, and, however popular global virtual teams (GVTs) have recently been, creativity in GVTs has not been adequately explored. Nonetheless, extant research has shown that several factors may enhance creativity in GVTs, though other features of virtuality may have a negative effect upon it. In this study, we take an international company as a case-study and we follow a qualitative methodology in order to comprehend and conceptualize the role of creativity in GVTs, and to identify some of the enhancers and inhibitors of creativity in a computer-mediated, globally dispersed business environment. In addition, we identify and discuss, through the use of the laddering technique, several values which motivate employees to exhibit creative behaviour when working virtually. We lastly discuss the implications for theory and practice.