Environmental influences on idea selection, refinement, and creativity

Abstract

Creative ideas rarely translate into successful innovations. This study investigated three factors hypothesized to influence idea selection, refinement, and creativity—the source of ideas as well as the goals and climate operating in the task environment. Undergraduates (N = 178) were asked to complete a complex marketing task that involved generating an initial idea list (or reviewing a list of peer ideas), critiquing these ideas, and then developing a final advertising campaign. Participants who reviewed an initial list of peer ideas included more new concepts in their final campaigns. However, participants who generated their own initial idea lists were more likely to refine these ideas, perhaps due to greater personal investment in the ideas. Further, the most creative campaigns were produced by participants who generated their own initial idea lists while focused on originality goals in a collaborative climate. Implications for designing more creative work environments are discussed.