How did we think of that? "Input" and "process" in group communication for idea generation.

• Main Author: Wong, Siang Ting.
• Other Authors: Chen Hsueh-hua
• Format: Theses and Dissertations
• Language: English
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::Communication::Organizational communication
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/41747
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Group idea generation has mostly been studied under the province of small group communication in the field of Communication Studies. Within small group communication literature, group communication for idea generation is predominantly understood as a chain reaction where input influences process, which in tum influences output. Recent literature on group idea generation calls to expand theories beyond these "simple input-process-output chains" (Wittenbaum et aI., 2004). In response, this thesis uses the microsociological perspective (Haragon, 2006) to study "input" and "process" of group idea generation as contextualized by social and temporal factors. "Input" used in group communication for- idea generation is contextualized by conceiving of them as "domains of knowledge". The "process" of group idea generation is studied as contextualized by time -- past, present and future group communication. Findings from the research demonstrate that knowledge used as input for group idea generation goes beyond the field in which one is innovating in, and elaborates on the different roles that each type of knowledge plays in group communication for idea generation. The research also uncovers how group communication in an idea generating session influences the inputs used in group communication in the next idea generating session. The thesis ends with a demonstration of how the findings promote a more nuanced understanding and use of the input-process-output framework for studying group communication in idea generation.