No Need to Like My Values, Just Recognize Them: When Team Value Diversity Enhances Creative Problem Solving via Integrative Complexity

Abstract: Team value diversity, reflecting divergent value priorities among members, has been linked to positive (e.g., creativity) and negative (e.g., conflict) team outcomes. Drawing on integrative complexity theory, we address this inconsistency by positioning relationship conflict not as an outcome but as an important condition for creative problem solving. We argue that when value-diverse teams engage with their differences through relationship conflict and embrace pro-diversity beliefs, they can foster creative solutions to complex problems via team integrative complexity. A survey study (N = 168 teams) showed full support for our proposed model. Our findings contribute to diversity research by introducing integrative complexity as a relevant mechanism and reframing the role of relationship conflict. We show that relationship conflict is not inherently detrimental but can activate integrative complexity in value-diverse teams under the right conditions, and we argue that acknowledging rather than suppressing such conflict can foster innovative solutions to complex problems.

Keywords: Team Value Diversity; Team Relationship Conflict; Team Pro-Diversity Beliefs; Team Integrative Complexity; Complex Problems; Creative Problem Solving