It All Starts with a Good Idea: A New Coding System for Analyzing Idea Finding Interactions (AIFI)

Abstract

In today’s fast-changing world, teams need to develop a sound capacity for finding new ideas. However, we know little about the behavioral micro-dynamics that are at the core of creativity in teams. To overcome these shortcomings, we present a new behavioral coding system for analyzing idea finding interactions (AIFI). The AIFI system aims to help researchers study fine-grained creative team processes. In terms of practical application, the AIFI system can serve to visualize the patterns of Idea finding over time. The codes of the AIFI system were derived both inductively (analyzing videos of innovation teams) and deductively (consulting existing coding systems). A first application of the AIFI system showed moderate agreement among coders, speaking to its interrater reliability. Further, we examined distinct relationships between the codes of the AIFI system and (1) ratings of idea quality provided by external raters and (2) team members’ perceived effectiveness.