The creative link: Investigating the relationship between social network indices, creative performance and flow in blended teams

We present findings of an exploratory study, which investigated the relationship among the indices of social network structure, flow, and creative performance in students collaborating in a blended setting. Thirty undergraduate students enrolled in a Media Psychology course were assigned to five groups tasked with designing a new technology-based psychological application. Team members collaborated over a twelve-week period using two main modalities: face-to-face meeting sessions in the classroom (once a week) and virtual meetings using a groupware tool. Social network indicators of group interaction and presence indices were extracted from communication logs, whereas flow and product creativity were assessed through survey measures. The findings showed that specific social network indices (in particular those measuring decentralization and neighbor interaction) were positively related to flow experience. More broadly, the results indicated that selected social network indicators could offer useful insight into the creative collaboration process. Theoretical and methodological implications of these results are drawn.