Evaluating the role of organizational leadership approaches in managing task conflicts – program team creativity connection in social enterprises

Purpose The study examines organizational leadership approaches, focusing on transformational leadership in the management of task conflicts in program teams within social enterprises and their overall effect on the creativity of the team. It serves to estimate the impact that leadership can have on the relationship between task conflict and team creativity in the success or failure of a project. Design/methodology/approach The quantitative research design was adopted, and survey data from the program teams of various social enterprises were used. To test the interrelationship between projects task conflict, team-oriented transformational leadership and team creativity, this study adopted the four-factor model using confirmatory factors. To strengthen the validity of the model, three control variables included team size, team age and department tenure. Findings The findings indicate that transformational leadership serves as a positive moderator in the interaction between project task conflict and team creativity. Whereas task conflicts may hurt team performance, effective leadership lessens this negative effect on fostering an environment where creativity can take place. Also, teams led by transformational leaders showed high levels of innovative problem-solving and collaboration, even in conflicting conditions. Originality/value The present research offers a new perspective in investigating social enterprises and specifically analyzing the hitherto neglected interrelationship between leadership, task-related conflict and creativity within program teams. It underlines the need to apply transformational leadership behavior within conflictive environments, especially in mission-driven organizations such as social enterprises, insofar as stimulation of creativity therein is central to sustainability and effectiveness.