The Effect of Individual-Difference-Based Group Composition on Idea Generation Performance

Previous research provides evidence that individual differences such as cognitive ability and personality traits can play a significant role in group idea generation. Our prior study (Jung et al., 2012) demonstrates that extraverts tend to perform better than introverts in computer-mediated groups. Our other study (Valacich et al., 2006) also verifies that group composition based on cognitive ability can not only significantly influence the overall ideational performance of a group, but also that of individual group members. Thus, we combine the research designs used in both studies and attempt to find a way to better enhance the performance of idea generation.