Idea Generation in Technology-Supported Teams: A Multilevel Motivational Perspective

In this research, we draw on multilevel theory to understand the interplay between team characteristics-team size and team dispersion-and individual goal striving in influencing individual idea generation performance. We conducted a laboratory study involving 185 individuals nested in 34 brainstorming teams and found that individual goal striving is a stronger predictor of individual idea generation performance in dispersed team contexts compared to co-located team contexts and in larger teams than in smaller teams. The implications of the findings for theory and practice are discussed.