Novelty and coherence in group creative processes

A research of triadic creative processes was conducted based on the assumption that novelty and coherence are basic dimensions of group creativity, variations of which can explain differences in creative achievement. In a workshop, 153 students were divided in triads and created 51 chain-stories. Following the standards of Consensual Assessment Technique (CAT), eight independent judges assessed creativity, novelty and coherence in the integral stories. The most representative stories for low, middle and high creativity, were selected and subjected to further analysis. The results show that development of group creativity is conditioned by high level of novelty, and by balanced ratio of novelty and coherence that enable integration of unique ideas in group processes. Symmetrical contribution of members was not confirmed as one of the conditions, suggesting that group creativity is an emerging phenomenon, relying on relations rather than individual contributions of participants.