Abstract

The present study tests the general hypothesis that individualism-collectivism orientation influences creative performance in a brainstorming context. This is explored from both an individual and group perspective. Individualists were represented by Canadians, while collectivists were represented by Taiwanese. It was predicted that the collectivistic nature of the Taiwanese would hinder their brainstorming performance. Inversely, the individualistic nature of the Canadians would help them in their brainstorming performance. As predicted, the Canadians produced significantly more ideas. However, it was found that the Taiwanese produced ideas that were, on average, higher in originality. It is hoped that the results from the present study will encourage further research into cross-cultural differences along the creativity dimension.