Creativity is a journey, not a destination: A team flow theory perspective for service workers

• This research investigates the role of teamwork as an enabler of individual creativity, as facilitated by team flow experiences. • We highlight the value of team flow, which can lead to the development of important individual, team, and organisational creativity outcomes. • With our findings, we introduce the concept of ‘unflow’ which represents behaviours and issues detrimental to experiencing a state of flow. • We contribute with our Team Flow model which exemplifies the multifaceted nature of flow and interactions between its central aspects. Teamwork, recognised for supporting employee creativity, is crucial to organisational sustainability and survival. However, the ways of unlocking teamwork for creativity remain an unrealised opportunity. By integrating team flow theory, we exemplify how flow can be activated in teams and give rise to creativity, adding to the nascent literature on teams achieving an optimal state. Using a creative problem-solving intervention, qualitative data was collected via participant observation and semi-structured interviews with front-line hotel managers. We show the creativity outcomes at the individual, team, and organisational levels resulting from team flow, with our data emphasising the longer-term impacts on individual creativity. Notably, we extend team flow theory with our model, contributing to the discussion of creativity processes and offering important insights into how the reciprocal relationship between teamwork and individual creativity can be achieved. Our findings have implications for business leaders seeking to drive high-performing, creative organisations.