Team Dynamics and The Difference Between "Generating" Ideas and Selecting The "Right" Idea

We often link the idea of brainstorming ideas, with selecting good ideas. But two Emory professors, Jill Perry-Smith and Russell Coff, found that group attributes that enhance the generation of ideas may not be the same as attributes that favor the selection of a great idea."

The professors found that thinking tends to converge when people with close relationships among them sit down to brainstorm. They suggest managers should assign different individuals to the idea-generating team than to the group charged with selecting the idea. They also suggest adjusting company routines to promote a group mood appropriate for the task at hand.

For more from the authors of “Navigating a Darwinian Process of Entrepreneurial Creativity: How Optimal Group Mood Differs for Generating and Selecting Creative Business Ideas.”  go to Knowledge@Emory