Using green team creativity in developing eco-innovation prototypes

Human actions are pushing life on earth to a sixth extinction. People will need to change the way they live and work together to solve complex green problems. The aim of this study was to show how important it is for the teaching and learning activities in higher education institutions (HEIs) to focus on green teamwork, green creativity and eco-innovation. This is important to prepare and encourage students and graduates to: 1) work in green teams; 2) use green creativity, eco-innovation and prototyping to find green solutions. The study took the form of a small-group project carried out by 46 master’s students at a German HEI. The instruction was that each team had to focus specifically on green issues in the project. They had to select their own green problem using green creativity and solve it using eco-innovation and prototyping. A survey was administered to gather the students’ views about green teamwork and their overall view of the project, instructions and suggested templates. The findings indicated that HEIs play an important role in green creativity, green prototyping and eco-innovation.