Do communication barriers in student teams impede creative behavior in the long run?-A time-lagged perspective

Creativity has become a topic of ever-increasing interest in educational settings. Previous researchers have purported that creativity can be learned and taught through training programs; however the question remains as to how it can be kindled within an entrepreneurial educational context. Although several factors shaping team creativity have been examined before, communication barriers have received relatively less attention. Therefore, to add onto this research, we tested this interrelationship in this study including several intervening variables. Samples were collected from forty undergraduate students over a period of four and a half months in a time-lagged fashion. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used to test the hypothesized conceptual model. Results revealed that communication barriers during the initial stages of teamwork affected knowledge sharing and expressive ties negatively. However, early leadership was able to overcome their deleterious effects. Therefore study findings emphasize that it is imperative for the leader to focus on team communication and convalesce it. It was also found that knowledge sharing and expressive ties facilitated team learning during the middle stages of teamwork. Furthermore, this study highlighted that team learning is a potential precursor to instigate creative minds in students. All the above-mentioned variables acted as crucial antecedents to team's creativity. We conclude that entrepreneurship programs do have a positive impact on student behavior and provide a suitable environment to stimulate creativity and team skills.