The long and winding road: A team idea implementation model

Abstract

Creative teams are expected to produce novel and useful outcomes in each stage of the idea journey. However, during the stage of idea implementation, where ideas are transformed into tangible outputs, creative teams encounter the tension between creativity and restriction. In other words, they need to remain flexible and open to new initiatives to increase the creativity of the outputs, while they need to follow the blueprint drawn by the ideas that are to be implemented. To explore how teams deal with such tensions in the idea implementation stage, we conducted a case study using The Beatles' Get Back project in 1969. To uncover the nonlinear, dynamic and interactive process underlying the implementation stage of team creativity, we analysed the documentaries and books about the project and the band. This led to a process model of team idea implementation. This model includes screening, initiating, trialling and evaluating stages, illuminating the iterative process within which team members implement ideas. This research provides novel insights into our understanding of team creativity.