Relationship of Cooperative or Competitive University Climate with the Positive Creativity in Russian Students
- Authors: Berrios Callejas S.A.1, Kodja E.A.1, Bultseva M.A.1
-
Affiliations:
- HSE University
- Issue: Vol 22, No 1 (2025)
- Pages: 175-194
- Section: PERSONALITY IN CONTEMPORARY EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT
- URL: https://journal-vniispk.ru/2313-1683/article/view/326282
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.22363/2313-1683-2025-22-1-175-194
- EDN: https://elibrary.ru/UPXJJA
- ID: 326282
Cite item
Full Text
Abstract
Creativity is one of the key competences that educational organizations should foster in their students. Considering the valence of creative ideas and their consequences, this study examines the relationship between cooperation and competition as aspects of university climate with students’ positive creativity. A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 341 Russian students (54.8% - females) using PISA’s measurement of cooperation and competition and the task from “Test of realistic problem situations,” adapted to measure positive creativity in a university context. The results showed that there is no significant relationship between cooperative climate and positive creativity, whereas a competitive climate contributes to students’ positive creativity. The discussion explores consequences of the cooperative and competitive climates in a broader perspective as well as the specific characteristics of everyday positive creativity in a social domain. Overall, the study suggests that competitive climate can lead to more pronounced positive social creativity, probably as a defensive strategy.
About the authors
Sonia A. Berrios Callejas
HSE University
Email: soniaberrios@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-9572-2289
PhD student
20 Myasnitskaya St, Moscow, 101000, Russian FederationEkaterina A. Kodja
HSE University
Email: katerina.kodja@gmail.com
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-6316-3275
SPIN-code: 7315-3399
PhD in Psychology, Invited Lecturer
20 Myasnitskaya St, Moscow, 101000, Russian FederationMaria A. Bultseva
HSE University
Author for correspondence.
Email: mbultseva@hse.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-5899-9916
SPIN-code: 5293-2730
PhD in Psychology, Senior Research Fellow, Centre of Sociocultural Research
20 Myasnitskaya St, Moscow, 101000, Russian FederationReferences
- Arnold, J.A., Arad, S., Rhoades, J.A., & Drasgow, F. (2000). The empowering leadership questionnaire: The construction and validation of a new scale for measuring leader behaviors. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 21(3), 249–269. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-1379(200005)21:3<249::AID-JOB10>3.0.CO;2-%23
- Baer, J. (2012). Domain specificity and the limits of creativity theory. The Journal of Creative Behavior, 46(1), 16–29. https://doi.org/10.1002/jocb.002
- Baer, J., & McKool, S.S. (2009). Assessing creativity using the consensual assessment technique. In C.S. Schreiner (Ed.), Handbook of research on assessment technologies, methods, and applications in higher education (pp. 65–77). Hershey, PA: IGI Global Scientific Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-60566-667-9.ch004
- Baer, M., Leenders, R. Th.A.J., Oldham, G.R., & Vadera, A.K. (2010). Win or lose the battle for creativity: The power and perils of intergroup competition. Academy of Management Journal, 53(4), 827–845. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2010.52814611
- Baldwin, R.G. (2009). The climate for undergraduate teaching and learning in STEM fields. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 2009(117), 9–17. https://doi.org/10.1002/tl.340
- Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
- Batey, M. (2012). The measurement of creativity: From definitional consensus to the introduction of a new heuristic framework. Creativity Research Journal, 24(1), 55–65. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2012.649181
- Beghetto, R.A., & Anderson, R.C. (2022). Positive creativity is principled creativity. Education Sciences, 12(3), 184. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12030184
- Benedek, M., Karstendiek, M., Ceh, S.M., Grabner, R.H., Krammer, G., Lebuda, I., Silvia, P.J., Cotter, K.N., Li, Y., Hu, W., Martskvishvili, K., & Kaufman, J.C. (2021). Creativity myths: Prevalence and correlates of misconceptions on creativity. Personality and Individual Differences, 182, 111068. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.111068
- Białkiewicz, A. (2020). Architectural competitions support student creativity. World Transactions on Engineering and Technology Education, 18(2), 157–162.
- Bittner, J.V., & Heidemeier, H. (2013). Competitive mindsets, creativity, and the role of regulatory focus. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 9, 59–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2013.03.003
- Bradler, C., Neckermann, S., & Warnke, A.J. (2016). Incentivizing creativity: A large-scale experiment with tournaments and gifts. Tinbergen Institute Discussion Paper 16-035/VII. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2772526
- Brohmer, H., Fauler, A., Floto, C., Athenstaedt, U., Kedia, G., Eckerstorfer, L.V., & Corcoran, K. (2019). Inspired to lend a hand? Attempts to elicit prosocial behavior through goal contagion. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 545. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00545
- Brown, S.P., Cron, W.L., & Slocum, J.W. (1998). Effects of trait competitiveness and perceived intraorganizational competition on salesperson goal setting and performance. Journal of Marketing, 62(4), 88–98. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299806200407
- Burkšaitienė, N. (2018). How can university learning environment contribute to students’ creativity? Lithuanian students’ perspective. Creativity Studies, 11(1), 162–171. https://doi.org/10.3846/cs.2018.271
- Cai, H.B., Liu, Q., & Xiao, G. (2005). Does competition encourage unethical behavior? The case of corporate profit hiding in China. SSRN. Retrieved January 12, 2025, from https://ssrn.com/abstract=676183
- Capraro, V., Smyth, C., Mylona, K., & Niblo, G. A. (2014). Benevolent characteristics promote cooperative behaviour among humans. PLoS ONE, 9(8), e102881. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0102881
- Carmeli, A., Dutton, J.E., & Hardin, A.E. (2015). Respect as an engine for new ideas: Linking respectful engagement, relational information processing and creativity among employees and teams. Human Relations, 68(6), 1021–1047. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726714550256
- Carnevale, P.J., & Probst, T.M. (1998). Social values and social conflict in creative problem solving and categorization. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(5), 1300–1309. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.74.5.1300
- Catarino, P., Vasco, P., Lopes, J., Silva, H., & Morais, E. (2019). Cooperative learning on promoting creative thinking and mathematical creativity in higher education. REICE. Revista Iberoamericana Sobre Calidad, Eficacia y Cambio En Educación, 17(3). https://doi.org/10.15366/reice2019.17.3.001
- Choi, J., Johnson, D.W., & Johnson, R. (2011). Relationships among cooperative learning experiences, social interdependence, children’s aggression, victimization, and prosocial behaviors. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 41(4), 976–1003. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2011.00744.x
- Cikara, M., Bruneau, E., Van Bavel, J.J., & Saxe, R. (2014). Their pain gives us pleasure: How intergroup dynamics shape empathic failures and counter-empathic responses. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 55, 110–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2014.06.007
- Clydesdale, G. (2006). Creativity and competition: The Beatles. Creativity Research Journal, 18(2), 129–139. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326934crj1802_1
- Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203771587
- David, E.M., Kim, T.-Y., Rodgers, M., & Chen, T. (2021). Helping while competing? The complex effects of competitive climates on the prosocial identity and performance relationship. Journal of Management Studies, 58(6), 1507–1531. https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.12675
- De Dreu, C.K.W. (2010). Social conflict: The emergence and consequences of struggle and negotiation. In S.T. Fiske, D.T. Gilbert, & G. Lindzey (Eds.). Handbook of Social Psychology (5th ed., pp. 983–1023). Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470561119.socpsy002027
- Dollinger, S.J., Burke, P.A., & Gump, N.W. (2007). Creativity and values. Creativity Research Journal, 19(2–3), 91–103. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400410701395028
- Duffy, J., & Kornienko, T. (2010). Does competition affect giving? Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 74(1–2), 82–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2010.02.001
- Erat, S., & Gneezy, U. (2016). Incentives for creativity. Experimental Economics, 19(2), 269–280. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10683-015-9440-5
- Fehr, E., & Krajbich, I. (2014). Social preferences and the brain. In P.W. Glimcher, & E. Fehr (Eds.). Neuroeconomics: Decision Making and the Brain (2nd ed., pp. 193–218). London: Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-416008-8.00011-5
- Fetiskin, N.P., Kozlov, V.V., & Manuilov, G.M. (2002). Socio-psychological diagnostics of personality and small group development. Moscow: Psikhoterapiya Publ. (In Russ.)
- Förster, J., & Higgins, E.T. (2005). How global versus local perception fits regulatory focus. Psychological Science, 16(8), 631–636. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2005.01586.x
- Fung, D., & Howe, C. (2012). Liberal studies in Hong Kong: A new perspective on critical thinking through group work. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 7(2), 101–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2012.04.002
- Gao, Q., Chen, P., Zhou, Z., & Jiang, J. (2020). The impact of school climate on trait creativity in primary school students: The mediating role of achievement motivation and proactive personality. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 40(3), 330–343. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2019.1707644
- Gao, Z., Cheng, L., Li, J., Chen, Q., & Hao, N. (2022). The dark side of creativity: Neural correlates of malevolent creative idea generation. Neuropsychologia, 167, 108164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108164
- Ge, J.-J., Zhang, P., & Dong, D. (2022). Can extrinsic motivational state hinder good behavior? The mediating role of ambition and competition in relationships of contingent rewards and punishments with work performance. Current Psychology, 41(4), 2162–2183. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-00688-2
- Gentile, D.A., Anderson, C.A., Yukawa, S., Ihori, N., Saleem, M., Ming, L.K., Shibuya, A., Liau, A.K., Khoo, A., Bushman, B.J., Huesmann, L.R., & Sakamoto, A. (2009). The effects of prosocial video games on prosocial behaviors: international evidence from correlational, longitudinal, and experimental studies. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 35(6), 752–763. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167209333045
- Grant, A.M., & Berry, J.W. (2011). The necessity of others is the mother of invention: Intrinsic and prosocial motivations, perspective taking, and creativity. Academy of Management Journal, 54(1), 73–96. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2011.59215085
- Gross, D.P. (2020). Creativity under fire: The effects of competition on creative production. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 102(3), 583–599. https://doi.org/10.1162/rest_a_00831
- Hegarty, W.H., & Sims, H.P. (1978). Some determinants of unethical decision behavior: An experiment. Journal of Applied Psychology, 63(4), 451–457. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.63.4.451
- Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing cultures: The Hofstede model in context. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.9707/2307-0919.1014
- Hurtado, S., Eagan, M.K., Tran, M.C., Newman, C.B., Chang, M.J., & Velasco, P. (2011). “We do science here”: Underrepresented students’ interactions with faculty in different college contexts. Journal of Social Issues, 67(3), 553–579. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.2011.01714.x
- Hyde, M.S., & Gess-Newsome, J. (2000). Factors that increase persistence of female undergraduate science students. In J. Bart (Ed.). Women succeeding in the sciences: Theories and practices across disciplines (pp. 115137). West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press.
- Johnson, D.W., & Johnson, R.T. (1989). Cooperation and competition: Theory and research. Edina, MN: Interaction Book Company.
- Johnson, D.W., & Johnson, R.T. (2009). An educational psychology success story: Social interdependence theory and cooperative learning. Educational Researcher, 38(5), 365–379. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189x09339057
- Johnson, D.W., Johnson, R.T., Johnson, J., & Anderson, D. (1976). Effects of cooperative versus individualized instruction on student prosocial behavior, attitudes toward learning, and achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 68(4), 446–452. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.68.4.446
- Kahveci, A., Southerland, S.A., & Gilmer, P.J. (2008). From marginality to legitimate peripherality: Understanding the essential functions of a women’s program. Science Education, 92(1), 33–64. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.20234
- Kapoor, H., & Khan, A. (2017). Deceptively yours: Valence-based creativity and deception. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 23, 199–206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2016.12.006
- Karau, S.J., & Williams, K.D. (1993). Social loafing: A meta-analytic review and theoretical integration. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65(4), 681–706. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.65.4.681
- Kaufman, J.C., & Beghetto, R.A. (2009). Beyond big and little: The four c model of creativity. Review of General Psychology, 13(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0013688
- Koran, C.M. (1989). School climate and student affective needs: A descriptive study of four junior high schools. M.Ed. Thesis. Lethbridge, AB: University of Lethbridge.
- Lewin, K. (1936). Principles of topological psychology (F. Heider & G. M. Heider, Trans.). New York: McGraw-Hill. http://doi.org/10.1037/10019-000
- Lee, T., Sam Liu, C.-H., & Li, P.-H. (2021). The influences of cooperative climate, competitive climate and customer empowerment on service creativity. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 63, 102726. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102726
- Lin, S.-Y. (S.), Park, G., Zhou, Q., & Hirst, G. (2023). Two birds, one stone: How altruism can facilitate both individual creativity and prosocial behavior in two different team contexts. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 27(1), 65–79. https://doi.org/10.1037/gdn0000188
- Lombardi, E., Traficante, D., Bettoni, R., Offredi, I., Giorgetti, M., & Vernice, M. (2019). The impact of school climate on well-being experience and school engagement: A study with high-school students. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 2482. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02482
- Lu, K., Xue, H., Nozawa, T., & Hao, N. (2019). Cooperation makes a group be more creative. Cerebral Cortex, 29(8), 3457–3470. https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhy215
- Luengo Kanacri, B.P., Eisenberg, N., Thartori, E., Pastorelli, C., Uribe Tirado, L.M., Gerbino, M., & Caprara, G.V. (2017). Longitudinal relations among positivity, perceived positive school climate, and prosocial behavior in colombian adolescents. Child Development, 88(4), 1100–1114. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12863
- Manzano-Sánchez, D., Gómez-Mármol, A., Valero-Valenzuela, A., & Jiménez-Parra, J.F. (2021). School climate and responsibility as predictors of antisocial and prosocial behaviors and violence: A study towards self-determination theory. Behavioral Sciences, 11(3), 36. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs11030036
- Maxwell, S., Reynolds, K.J., Lee, E., Subasic, E., & Bromhead, D. (2017). The impact of school climate and school identification on academic achievement: Multilevel modeling with student and teacher data. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 2069. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02069
- Mayseless, N., Saggar, M., Hawthorne, G., & Reiss, A. (2018). Creativity in the twenty-first century: The added benefit of training and cooperation. In H. Plattner, C. Meinel & L. Leifer (Eds.). Design Thinking Research. Making Distinctions: Collaboration versus Cooperation (pp. 239–249). Cham: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60967-6_12
- Mcglynn, R.P., Gibbs, M.E., & Roberts, S.J. (1982). Effects of cooperative versus competitive set and coaction on creative responding. The Journal of Social Psychology, 118(2), 281–282. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224545.1982.9922809
- Meshkova, N.V., & Enikolopov, S.N. (2016). The directions of creativity research in social interaction. Voprosy Psychologii, (4), 118-128. (In Russ.)
- Moos, R.H., & Moos, B.S. (1978). Classroom social climate and student absences and grades. Journal of Educational Psychology, 70(2), 263–269. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.70.2.263
- Moyal, A., & Ritov, I. (2020). The effect of contest participation and contest outcome on subsequent prosocial behavior. PLoS ONE, 15(11), e0240712. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0240712
- Murphy, R.O., & Ackermann, K.A. (2014). Social value orientation: Theoretical and measurement issues in the study of social preferences. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 18(1), 13–41. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868313501745
- Naumov, A., & Puffer, S. (2000). Measuring Russian culture using Hofstede’s dimensions. Applied Psychology, 49(4), 709–718. https://doi.org/10.1111/1464-0597.00041
- Nijstad, B.A., & De Dreu, C.K.W. (2012). Motivated information processing in organizational teams: Progress, puzzles, and prospects. Research in Organizational Behavior, 32, 87–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.riob.2012.11.004
- OECD (2019). PISA 2018 Results (Volume III): What school life means for students’ lives. Paris: PISA, OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/acd78851-en
- Ogrutan, P.L., Machidon, A.L., & Dinu, A. (2019). Is there a link between creativity and multiculturalism in education? TEM Journal, 8(2), 577–583. https://doi.org/10.18421/tem82-34
- Pavlova, E.M. (2018). Model of connections between self-esteem of creativity and intelligence, tolerance of uncertainty and creativity. Psychology. Journal of the Higher School of Economics, 15(1), 69-78. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.17323/1813-8918-2018-1-69-78
- Pearsall, M.J., & Venkataramani, V. (2015). Overcoming asymmetric goals in teams: The interactive roles of team learning orientation and team identification. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100(3), 735–748. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038315
- Posselt, J.R., & Lipson, S.K. (2016). Competition, anxiety, and depression in the college classroom: Variations by student identity and field of study. Journal of College Student Development, 57(8), 973–989. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2016.0094
- Prabhu, R., Miller, S.R., Simpson, T.W., & Meisel, N.A. (2020). Built to win? Exploring the role of competitive environments on students’ creativity in design for additive manufacturing tasks. Journal of Engineering Design, 31(11–12), 574–604. https://doi.org/10.1080/09544828.2020.1851661
- Roseth, C.J., Johnson, D.W., & Johnson, R.T. (2008). Promoting early adolescents’ achievement and peer relationships: The effects of cooperative, competitive, and individualistic goal structures. Psychological Bulletin, 134(2), 223–246. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.134.2.223
- Schei, V. (2013). Creative people create values: Creativity and positive arousal in negotiations. Creativity Research Journal, 25(4), 408–417. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2013.843336
- Schwartz, S.H. (2010). Basic values: How they motivate and inhibit prosocial behavior. In M. Mikulincer & P.R. Shaver (Eds.). Prosocial motives, emotions, and behavior: The better angels of our nature (pp. 221–241). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/12061-012
- Seymour, E. (2002). Tracking the processes of change in US undergraduate education in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology. Science Education, 86(1), 79–105. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.1044
- Shapiro, C.A., & Sax, L.J. (2011). Major selection and persistence for women in STEM. New Directions for Institutional Research, 2011(152), 5–18. https://doi.org/10.1002/ir.404
- Sommet, N., Darnon, C., Mugny, G., Quiamzade, A., Pulfrey, C., Dompnier, B., & Butera, F. (2014). Performance goals in conflictual social interactions: Towards the distinction between two modes of relational conflict regulation. British Journal of Social Psychology, 53(1), 134–153. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12015
- Sternberg, R.J., & Chowkase, A. (2021). When we teach for positive creativity, what exactly do we teach for? Education Sciences, 11(5), 237. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11050237
- Sternberg, R.J., & Karami, S. (2021, April 8). Teaching for Positive Creativity. ASCD. Retrieved January 12, 2025, from https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/teaching-for-positive-creativity
- Sternberg, R.J., & Lubart, T.I. (1999). The concept of creativity: Prospects and paradigms. In R.J. Sternberg (Ed.). Handbook of creativity (pp. 3–15). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511807916.003
- Thapa, A., Cohen, J., Guffey, S., & Higgins-D’Alessandro, A. (2013). A review of school climate research. Review of Educational Research, 83(3), 357–385. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654313483907
- Vaccaro, A. (2010). What lies beneath seemingly positive campus climate results: Institutional sexism, racism, and male hostility toward equity initiatives and liberal bias. Equity & Excellence in Education, 43(2), 202–215. https://doi.org/10.1080/10665680903520231
- Wang, H.-H., & Deng, X. (2022). The bridging role of goals between affective traits and positive creativity. Education Sciences, 12(2), 144. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12020144
- Wang, M.-T., & Degol, J.L. (2016). School climate: A review of the construct, measurement, and impact on student outcomes. Educational Psychology Review, 28(2), 315–352. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-015-9319-1
- Waring, T.M., Sullivan, A.V., & Stapp, J.R. (2016). Campus prosociality as a sustainability indicator. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 17(6), 895–916. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijshe-05-2015-0091
- Wasburn, M.H., & Miller, S.G. (2004). Retaining undergraduate women in science, engineering, and technology: A survey of a student organization. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 6(2), 155–168. https://doi.org/10.2190/ndxh-ym83-tkwy-4e6c
- Yamagishi, T., & Yamagishi, M. (1994). Trust and commitment in the United States and Japan. Motivation and Emotion, 18(2), 129–166. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02249397
- Yan, B. (2019). Social value orientation, social influence and crowdsourced creativity. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2019(1), 13434. https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2019.13434abstract
- Zhao, Z., Renard, D., Elmoukhliss, M., & Balague, C. (2016). What affects creative performance in idea co-creation: Competitive, cooperative or coopetitive climate? International Journal of Innovation Management, 20(04), 1640002. https://doi.org/10.1142/s1363919616400028
- Zhu, Y.-Q., Gardner, D.G., & Chen, H.-G. (2018). Relationships between work team climate, individual motivation, and creativity. Journal of Management, 44(5), 2094–2115. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206316638161
Supplementary files

