Exploring Divergent and Convergent Production in Idea Evaluation: Implications for Designing Group Creativity Support Systems

Abstract

Most organizations need to evaluate novel ideas to identify their value. However, current idea evaluation research and practice hinder creativity by primarily facilitating convergent production (narrowing down ideas to a few tangible solutions) but discounting divergent production (the development of wildly creative and novel thoughts patterns). In this paper, I challenge this dominant view on idea evaluation by presenting a new theory I call dynamic idea evaluation and exploring the theory through a group creativity support system (GCSS) prototype. I designed the GCSS prototype as an idea portal that uses the knowledge created from the evaluation process to facilitate both convergent and divergent production. I designed the GCSS using an inductive and theory-building design science research (DSR) approach and interpretively analyzed it through an exploratory study in a Danish IS research department. I found that the GCSS demonstrates the ability to facilitate both divergent and convergent production during idea evaluation. Moreover, I add four design requirements and process architecture to help designers to build dynamic idea evaluation into this class of systems.

Chaos and creativity in dynamic idea evaluation: Theorizing the organization of problem‐based portfolios

“…Dynamic idea evaluation (DIE), on the other hand, follows the same objective as the traditional approaches by facilitating identification of the best qualities in existing ideas to create the most appropriate solution for the problem at hand. However, where traditional idea evaluation operationalizes this objective through ranking and elimination, DIE uses knowledge creation and creative production (Ulrich, 2018). To achieve this objective, DIE draws on a theoretical and empirical bridge between contemporary theories of idea evaluation (e.g., Couger, 1996;Isaksen & Treffinger, 1985;Moeran & Christensen, 2013), knowledge creation (e.g., Cheung, Chau, & Au, 2008;Majchrzak, Cooper, & Neece, 2004;Sternberg, 1999), and creative production (e.g., Cropley, 2006;Guilford, 1967Guilford, , 1977.…”

“…Hence, the negotiation principle follows Cropley's (2006) advice that divergent and convergent production needs to coexist in a healthy environment to be effective by helping people to identify what to do and what not to do. Ideas originating from negotiations in turn are renegotiated and F I G U R E 1 The iterative process of dynamic idea evaluation lead iteratively to renewed evaluation and useful knowledge that can determine the qualities of the ideas until the negotiating parties are satisfied (Ulrich, 2018;Ulrich et al, 2015).…”

“…We argue that ideas bifurcate when they adapt to change by convergently changing between different qualitative states or by divergently splitting into multiple novel states. As outlined in design studies and creativity research, existing ideas can be used to define new ideas Kohn & Smith, 2011;van der Lugt, 2000van der Lugt, , 2002van der Lugt, , 2005 and even new problem definitions (Ulrich, 2018). As Sternberg (1999) explains such bifurcation, creativity can make knowledge shifts, and expand or recreate existing domains.…”

“…Rather than going down the traditional path of idea evaluation, which is known to discourage creativity (e.g., Amabile, 1996Amabile, , 1998Amabile et al, 2005;Blair & Mumford, 2007;Mueller et al, 2012), we offer some insight into the inner dynamics of DIE that can help designers to create digital creativity support and practical frameworks that work in favor of creativity. As shown in Ulrich (2018), DIE can be materialized as digital creativity support and modern idea portals are already designed with a mixture of collecting contextual evaluation content and strict evaluation ratings (e.g., Ideastorm.com and NOSCO). Moreover, as illuminated in the ethnographic study by Moeran and Christensen (2013), dynamic approaches to evaluation are commonplace in creative industries.…”

“…Such traditional evaluation practices are known to demotivate creativity (Amabile, 1996(Amabile, , 1998Amabile, Barsade, Mueller, & Staw, 2005) and reduce people's ability to recognize original ideas (Blair & Mumford, 2007;Mueller, Melwani, & Goncalo, 2012). DIE attempts to solve such issues by (a) facilitating both divergent and convergent production, by (b) using the knowledge produced during idea evaluation and (c) directing this knowledge towards the improvement of ideas and creating novel alternatives that (d) can create problem-based portfolios (Ulrich, 2018). We define such portfolios as ideas and related knowledge that are clustered together around a problem definition through self-similar characteristics (e.g., Magnusson, Netz, & Wästlund, 2014;Schuldberg, 2011;Ulrich, 2018).…”