Exploring Team Creativity Through Wallas's Framework

ABSTRACT In this study, we examine how Wallas's (1926) four‐stage creative process, including Preparation, Incubation, Illumination, and Verification, can be adapted to describe the dynamics of team creativity. While this model is widely applied at the individual level, Wallas's model has been rarely tested in collaborative settings. Using the Critical Incident Technique (CIT), we conducted semi‐structured interviews with 33 experienced team leaders from diverse industries in Thailand. Our analysis revealed 17 types of critical incidents that emphasize team creativity is recursive, socially situated, and shaped by mechanisms such as co‐illumination, collective reflection, iterative feedback loops, and leadership facilitation across stages. Our findings show that Wallas's stages remain a useful heuristic but require extension to accommodate social interaction, emergent sub‐stages, and context dependencies. This study contributes to creativity theories by extending Wallas's model for collaborative settings by demonstrating the value of CIT in uncovering team‐level processes. For practical implications, this study provides guidance for managers and leaders who seek to foster conditions that enable collaboration, iteration, and breakthrough innovation.