Fostering Team‐Level Idea Implementation: Leader's Upward Exchange Relationship as a Key Facilitator

The innovation literature is rife with references to the importance of creativity, but idea implementation has largely been ignored. Several recent studies take an individual‐centric perspective but neglect the team‐level idea conversion process. To enhance the understanding of idea implementation as an important process of innovation, this study drew on the social capital perspective and proposed a team‐level mediated moderation model. Data was collected from 63 teams in China. The empirical analyses showed that the leader–leader exchange relationship (LLX) moderates the relationship between idea generation and implementation, and team efficacy mediates the moderating effect of LLX on the idea generation–implementation association. According to these findings, we discuss theoretical and practical implications. Finally, we put forward directions for future research.