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 regard 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 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.
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