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In companies, innovative ideas often come out of teams. That's why it's so important to have team members who are excited and focused on projects that lead to innovation. However, having team members who are too passionate—especially to the point of obsession—can actually stifle innovation, according to new research from Hui Liao at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business.

"Innovation is not just about persistence or grit," says Liao. "It's also important for teams to be able to reconsider and adjust their approaches as needed. That's where obsessive passion can become a barrier for team innovation—it prevents reflection and flexibility."

Liao's research—with four co-authors, published in the summer 2024 issue of Personnel Psychology—examined the dynamics of passion within more than 280 work teams. The researchers uncovered the contrasting effects of two types of passion, harmonious passion and obsessive passion, on the team's ability to reflect, adapt and innovate.

"You'd think the more nonstop and engaged team members are when working on a project, the better," says Liao. "But our research shows that teams benefit from pausing to reflect on their progress and reconsider their strategies from time to time."

This process of reflection and discussion is what Liao and her co-authors call the team reflexivity. Reflexivity allows teams to take a step back, assess their goals, evaluate their strategies and consider alternative approaches. However, teams driven by obsessive passion may struggle with this.

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