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We replicated prior findings that a positive affect induction can improve creative performance (Baas et al., 2008) relative to a neutral control condition. We also tested whether humor improved creativity relative to both positive and neutral affect conditions. Participants were randomly assigned to either a positive, humor, or neutral affect induction condition with sets of ten memes as the mood induction stimuli. They were subsequently asked to complete two randomized divergent thinking creativity tasks. Compared to participants in the neutral condition, those in the positive affect condition generated significantly more creative ideas. The number of ideas generated by those in the humor condition did not differ from the number ideas in the positive affect condition. Implications and future directions are discussed.

We examined the impact of task-relevant expertise level in groups on the idea sharing and elaboration process and on idea development. Participants were assigned to low, heterogeneous, and high expertise groups and were asked to generate ideas for the development of a new sport. Following two asynchronous divergent ideation phases using an electronic discussion board for ideational exchanges, groups completed a synchronous convergent discussion phase in which they selected and refined their ideas for a new sport. The number of ideas and their novelty during the divergent phase did not influence the outcome of the convergent phase. However, consistent with our theoretical model final product novelty was influenced by the number and novelty of the replies in the divergent phase. Although group expertise level was associated with various performance outcomes in the divergent ideation phase, it did not impact the novelty of the final product. Low expertise groups demonstrated the most novelty in the divergent phase. Final product novelty was also associated with sports words used in discussions during the convergent phase.

Extensive research and theory has focused on organizational innovation and the organizational factors that influence that innovation. Research on teams has highlighted a similar set of factors as important for team innovation. However, these literatures have not provided a clear picture of the key factors that influence the collaborative idea exchange processes that occur in teams and organizations. The literature on collaborative ideation has provides a useful theoretical and empirical basis for understanding these processes and the conditions required for optimizing creativity in group interactions. We provide the theoretical and empirical basis for a pragmatic approach to enhancing collaborative innovation processes in various organizational settings and highlight additional research needs and future directions.