Championing new ideas with consultation

Abstract

Idea championing is key for implementing new ideas. A few research studies show that inventors use the consultation tactic to champion their new ideas inside organizations—that is, inventors ask others to contribute to their new ideas in the hope of obtaining others' commitment. However, prior research does not indicate why inventors should use consultation and when it is beneficial. This research proposes that consultation enhances psychological ownership, and that psychological ownership increases idea commitment. Additionally, we posit that the extent to which idea receivers contribute and build psychological ownership will vary depending on the format of the new idea. We hypothesize that consultation is beneficial when idea receivers are asked to contribute to low-elaborated ideas framed in a non-narrative format, as this type of idea format provides greater opportunities for inputs. In contrast, we argue that idea receivers build less psychological ownership when they are asked to contribute to high-elaborated ideas and/or ideas framed in a narrative format (e.g., storytelling). An exploratory survey with 204 inventors confirms that the use of consultation for gaining idea commitment is widespread in companies. The survey shows that inventors present their new ideas at varying levels of elaboration and narrative format. Furthermore, three laboratory experiments provide strong support for our predictions. This study extends our understanding of the idea championing process by providing new insights into how consultation best fosters psychological ownership.