Membership change, idea generation, and group creativity: A motivated information processing perspective

Membership change has been found to stimulate collective idea generation but not always benefit group creativity—the of final outcomes that are novel and useful. Based on motivated information processing theory, we propose membership challenges members generate more ideas, this only contributes creativity when have high levels prosocial motivation willing process integrate each other’s ideas. In a laboratory study 56 student groups, incremental, radical, mediated the positive effect creativity, were prosocially motivated. The present points different roles incremental versus radical ideas underscores importance accounting for in groups reaping benefits relation creativity.