Leadership as a driver of creative thinking in teams: tools, behaviors and outcomes

Abstract

This paper examines how leadership acts as a practical driver of creative thinking in teams by shaping the conditions that make creativity repeatable rather than accidental. It argues that team creativity emerges when leaders consistently build psychological safety for idea-sharing, sustain intrinsic motivation through autonomy support, frame problems with clear goals and constraints, and institutionalize disciplined experimentation and learning loops. It highlights leadership behaviors that reliably increase creative output (e.g., inviting input, responding to mistakes with analysis rather than blame, providing autonomy with goal clarity, and enabling constructive conflict) and explains why they work.