| Social Influences in the Group Information Sharing Process: An Investigation of the Effects of Social Perceptions on Group Behavior and Performance |
| | Kim, Peter H. | U. of Southern California | kimpeter@usc.edu | (213)-740-7947 |
| | This study addresses a growing debate concerning the role played by social factors in the group information sharing process. It investigates this issue by determining whether perceptions of trust, in general, and competence and integrity, in particular, can impair information exchange even when assumptions of a dominant information sharing theory, the Collective Information Sharing Model, are maintained. Results indicate that these social factors 1) affect a group's focus on shared versus unshared information, 2) are more important than this discussion bias for determining decision quality, and 3) produce multi-faceted effects that have hitherto been unexplored. Implications for group decision-making are discussed. |
| | Keywords: groups; information; trust |
| Work Group Design and Autonomy: A Field Study of the Interaction Between Task Interdependence and Group Autonomy |
| | Langfred, Claus W. | Washington U. | langfred@mail.olin.wustl.edu | (314)-935-5205 |
| | Survey results of 280 work group employees and supervisors demonstrate the moderating effect of within-group task interdependence on the relationship between group autonomy and effectiveness. As hypothesized, autonomy has a positive influence on work group effectiveness when task interdependence is high, and a negative effect when task interdependence is low. |
| | Keywords: Autonomy; Task interdependence; group design |
| Measuring Internal Customer Satisfaction: A Comparison of Team Perceptions and Those of Their Internal Customers |
| | Gilbert, G. Ronald | Florida International U. | gilbert@fiu.edu | 305-919-5870 |
| | External customer satisfaction depends on the quality of internal work processes and team collaboration. This paper identifies two empirically
derived measures of internal customer support used to assess team effectiveness from the perspective of the team's internal customers.
The measures, Personal Service and Technical Competence, are based on analysis of the responses of 465 individuals
representing 150 internal customer teams. When compared, the expected (self) ratings of the focal teams were more positive than those
actually received from their internal customers. The findings suggest that work teams tend to have a more positive perception of their effectivesness
than is actually perceived by their internal customers. This phenomen is termed self serving perceptual distortion, where those being
rated tend to view their own performance higher than do those who are actually rating them. The findings suggest organizational work
teams need to use feedback from their internal customers to gain added insight into areas where their performance needs to be improved.
When teams fail to serve their internal customers, the overall service quality to the external customer may be impaired, as well. Therefore,
the measurement of internal customer satisfaction can be a useful aid for work teams to help them assess their effectiveness. |
| | Keywords: Customer satisfaction; Team perceptions; Internal customers |
| The Link Between Emotions and Team Effectiveness: How Teams Engage Members and Build Effective Task Processes |
| | Druskat, Vanessa Urch | Case Western Reserve U. | vxd@po.cwru.edu | (216)368-6135 |
| | Wolff, Steven B. | Marist College | steven.wolff@marist.edu | (914)575-3000 |
| | Effective interaction processes are becoming critical to group functioning in today's organizations where groups of diverse experts are increasingly asked to make complex, well-integrated, important decisions. In this paper, we fill a current theoretical void by presenting a model of group effectiveness that explains in detail the means through which effective group interaction processes develop and the route through which they impact group effectiveness. Central to the model are the concepts of emotional intelligence (see Goleman, 1995; Mayer & Salovey, 1997) and social capital (see Burt, 1997; Coleman, 1988). Specifically, we argue that emotionally intelligent groups that think intelligently about emotions and that use emotions to think intelligently (Mayer & Salovey, 1997), build a foundation of social capital, defined as collective beliefs that support group trust, safety, networks, identity, and potency. We then propose that the group's level of social capital influences the development of effective task processes, and importantly, engagement in those processes. Thus, the model integrates the role of emotions and social capital into current understanding of group effectiveness in order to explain theoretically, how groups develop effective interaction processes, engage members in effective task processes, and build group effectiveness. Implications and future research directions are discussed. |
| | Keywords: team; emotions; social capital |
| Comparing the Effects of Trust and Reward Structures on Group Problem Solving |
| | Dirks, Kurt T. | Simon Fraser U. | kdirks@sfu.edu | (604)-291-4150 |
| | Ferrin, Donald L. | U. of Minnesota | dferrin@csom.umn.edu | (612)-626-9705 |
| | We examine how trust and reward structures jointly operate to influence processes and outcomes in problem-solving groups. The primary objective of the study is to provide theoretical and empirical evidence about the effects of trust on behavioral processes, performance, and attitudes in this context. We do so by comparing the effects of trust to (and distinguishing them from) those of reward structures. The data provide evidence that reward structures have a main effect on behavioral processes and group performance, and that trust shapes (moderates) this effect. In contrast, we found that both trust and reward structures exerted a main effect on a key attitude: the willingness of team members to work together again. While the effect of reward structures on willingness to work together again, was fully mediated by perceived performance, the effect of trust was more direct. In sum, both trust and reward structures were important determinants of group problem solving processes and outcomes - but these two variables operated in very different manner. Overall, the findings provide a more sophisticated understanding of the complex role that trust plays in organizational settings. The findings also contribute to the literature on reward structures by providing evidence that the effect of reward structures on key outcome variables is influenced by trust. |
| | Keywords: Trust; Rewards; Groups |