Key words: business, teamwork, innovation, performance

This dissertation investigates whether and how sourcing and co-innovation teams can benefit from creative team climates when formulating break-through sourcing strategies and generating as well as selecting creative ideas for commercialisation. Results from three empirical studies reveal that creative as well as business performance is enhanced in presence of a creative team climate. In sourcing teams this is especially the case when team members have creative as well as task-related capabilities and are staffed cross-functionally. Creative performance of co-innovation teams, fuelled by good relations between the partner companies but hampered by strict contractual agreements, will result in higher sales turnover for suppliers and market turnover for buyers.

The dissertation was sponsored by NEVI, the Dutch Association for Purchasing Management.