Generating and Implementing New Ideas in Work Teams: A Motivational Perspective

ABSTRACT

Drawing on motivational perspectives, we develop a framework that explains the psychological mechanisms linking idea generation to implementation. We propose that intrinsically and extrinsically driven idea generation give rise to distinct patterns of team members' commitment to their ideas, which function as key motivational pathways linking idea generation to implementation and, ultimately, to the realization of intended benefits. To validate our propositions, we collected multi‐source field data from 190 members and 60 leaders comprising 60 work teams and conducted an experimental vignette study with 154 participants. Our analyses reveal three key patterns: (a) intrinsic idea generation is positively associated with normative commitment to implementation; (b) extrinsic idea generation is positively related to affective commitment to implementation; and (c) extrinsic, but not intrinsic, idea generation exerts significant indirect effects on positive implementation outcomes via affective idea commitment. Taken together, these findings indicate that extrinsic idea generation demonstrates stronger and more consistent downstream effects on implementation outcomes than intrinsic idea generation. These findings highlight the importance of managing extrinsic motivation to enhance affective commitment to ensure the effective implementation of new ideas in teams.