Team Knowledge Sourcing and Creativity in IS Development

In a knowledge economy where innovation is a way for organization to gain a competitive advantage, team creativity in information systems development (ISD) becomes an important factor of success. Based on knowledge sourcing theory, this research looks at how team’s creativity is influenced by the degree of team’s knowledge sourcing and by the learning orientation of the team in ISD. It conceptualizes the perspective that individually held knowledge influences creativity primarily through the process of knowledge sourcing at the team level. This empirical study was conducted by gathering data from 148 graduate students working in teams on an e-commerce project in a French business school. The research model was tested using PLSPM. The findings show significant influence of learning orientation on team knowledge sourcing and on team creativity. The results provide considerable support for the idea that knowledge sourcing and the learning orientation of the team members can play an important role in enhancing team creativity. Despite the limitations of this study, the initial findings show some interesting patterns that will be worth investigating on a larger scale and in various environments.

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