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Unintentional Outcomes as a Catalyst for Brainstorming.
Taly Reich1, Alexander G Fulmer2, Kelly B Herd3
1NYU Stern School of Business, New York, USA.
Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin
|March 28, 2026
Summary
Recalling past unintentional outcomes can boost idea generation. Reflecting on these events motivates individuals to regain control, enhancing brainstorming quantity and quality in malleable domains.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Organizational Behavior
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Companies utilize ideation exercises for innovation.
- Existing methods for enhancing ideation quantity and quality are varied.
- Understanding psychological drivers of creativity is crucial for organizational success.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and validate a novel strategy for promoting ideation.
- To investigate the psychological mechanism underlying this ideation strategy.
- To identify moderators influencing the effectiveness of this strategy.
Main Methods:
- A field experiment with marketing and sales employees.
- Four laboratory studies across various domains.
- Measuring ideation quantity and quality after prompting reflection on unintentional outcomes.
Main Results:
- Prompting reflection on unintentional outcomes significantly increased ideation.
- The effect is driven by a motivation to regain threatened control.
- The effect is moderated by domain malleability; it is stronger in malleable domains.
Conclusions:
- Reflecting on past unintentional outcomes is an effective strategy to enhance ideation.
- Control restoration motivation is a key psychological mechanism.
- Organizational managers and individuals can leverage this strategy, particularly in domains perceived as malleable.
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