Methodological foundations for implementing creative thinking techniques in the team-building process

Abstract

Creative thinking has become a pivotal capability in contemporary organizations operating under conditions of rapid technological evolution, market turbulence, and growing competitive pressure. As teams increasingly replace hierarchical structures as the primary units of work, the creative capacity of these teams directly influences an organization’s ability to innovate, adapt, and sustain long-term performance. However, traditional team-building practices—often limited to social bonding, communication games, or recreational exercises—rarely activate the deeper cognitive mechanisms required for structured creativity and complex problem-solving. This article develops a comprehensive methodological framework for embedding creative thinking techniques within the team-building process to cultivate higher-order collaborative creativity. Drawing from interdisciplinary research in organizational psychology, cognitive science, management theory, and creativity studies, the article synthesizes the conceptual foundations of creativity as a social-cognitive process. The research integrates structured creative techniques—including Design Thinking, TRIZ, SCAMPER, brainwriting, morphological analysis, and Six Thinking Hats—into a unified model for enhancing team functioning. A mixed-method research design was used, combining systemic analysis, sociometric diagnostics, cognitive mapping, comparative method evaluation, and an eight-week experimental intervention with fourteen organizational teams. Results show significant improvements in idea generation volume, originality, participation equality, communication clarity, psychological safety, and problem-solving efficiency. Teams transitioned from hierarchical communication patterns to distributed networks with greater collective intelligence. Cognitive maps revealed deeper conceptual structures and broader reframing ability. The study concludes that structured creative techniques transform team-building from a primarily socio-emotional activity into a powerful organizational development tool that systematically enhances innovation capacity. The article emphasizes that creativity must be treated not as an occasional workshop or individual trait but as a scalable, reproducible, and measurable organizational capability. Implications for HR strategies, leadership development, cross-functional collaboration, and innovation management are discussed. Recommendations for digital adaptation, cross-cultural expansion, and longitudinal research are provided.