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Title: Effects of Team Proactive Personality on Team Creativity Through Team Promotion Focus: The Moderating Role of Leader Mindful Communication
Authors: Wei Wu, Liu Xia (Corresponding Author), Christopher S. Reina
Journal: Journal of Business Research, August 2025 (Online First)

A new study published in the Journal of Business Research demonstrates how teams with proactive personalities can significantly enhance their creative output through specific psychological mechanisms and leadership support. The research, conducted across multiple Chinese organizations, provides valuable insights into the dynamics of team innovation.

The study finds that teams characterized by proactive personalities—those inclined to take initiative and effect positive change—develop a stronger collective promotion focus. This shared orientation toward growth and achievement serves as a key mechanism through which proactive teams generate greater creativity. Importantly, the research identifies leader mindful communication as a critical enhancing factor, showing that leaders who practice attentive, present-focused communication significantly strengthen the relationship between team proactivity and creative outcomes.

These findings were robustly validated through two separate studies using multi-wave, multi-source field data, ensuring reliability and ruling out alternative explanations. The research represents a substantial contribution to both team dynamics and leadership literature, particularly in understanding how personality traits at the group level interact with leadership behaviors to foster innovation.

For organizations seeking to enhance team creativity, this study suggests the value of both selecting for proactive personalities and developing leaders' mindful communication capabilities. The results offer practical pathways for improving innovation outcomes through targeted team composition and leadership development initiatives.

Journal of Business Research is classified as a B+ level journal in Wuhan University's academic journal ranking system.

Full study available at:
//doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115639