I Get By With a Little Help From My Supervisor: Creative-Idea Generation, Idea Implementation, and Perceived Supervisor Support

Abstract

In two studies using both field (165 employees and their 24 direct supervisors from a manufacturing firm in Study 1) and experimental (123 second-year undergraduate student participants in lab Study 2) data, we explore how perceived supervisor support acts as a crucial contingency that enables higher levels of idea implementation from creative-idea generation. First, we suggest that excessive creative-idea generation (in terms of both frequency and creativity of ideas) can lead to diminished returns with regards to idea implementation. Drawing on a resource allocation framework, we hypothesize and find a curvilinear inverse U-shaped relationship between employee creative-idea generation and implementation. Second, we examine perceived supervisor support as a moderator of the curvilinear inverse U-shaped relationship between idea generation and implementation. In line with our second hypothesis, we find that higher levels of perceived supervisor support dampen the curvilinear relationship between creative-idea generation and idea implementation. Accordingly, perceived supervisor support seems to provide employees with access to resources and support needed for idea implementation, making highly creative ideas more implementable.