Beyond the contribution of team-identity to constructive-cooperative conflict manage-
ment, previous research has suggested that a prosocial atmosphere directly affects
team-innovation. It allows team members to openly discuss their views concerning
group goals, tasks and missions, promotes creativity, learning and innovation (Amabile
et al., 2001; Standifer & Bluedorn, 2006; Swan & Scarbrough, 2005; West & Hirst, 2003).
Indeed, Za´rraga and Bonache (2005) showed that high- care team-atmosphere, entailing
mutual trust and active empathy enhanced knowledge transfer and knowledge creation.
The research findings, cited in previous sections, imply that team-identity sets the
stage for team-innovation by inducing a prosocial atmosphere, encouraging team mem-
bers to act on behalf of the team. However, we argue that the prosocial orientation
(reflected in team-identity) can manifest its effects on the outcome of team- innovation
only if it actually mobilizes the team members to employ integrating behaviors to man-
age internal discords. Thus, the constructive-cooperative conflict management pattern of
integrating constitutes a crucial component in the conceptual causal chain, linking
team-identity with team-innovation. A team’s actual integrating behaviors utilize the
advantages—such as tolerance for divergence, openness to others’ ideas, willingness to
share information, knowledge and skills—provided by prosocial team-orientation, as
expressed in team-identity. These gains then carry over to generation of novel and inno-
vative outcomes