Abstract
Field studies indicate that error management culture can be beneficial for organizational performance. The question of whether and how error management culture can be induced remained unanswered. We conducted two experiments with newly formed teams, in which we aimed to induce error management culture and to explore whether we would also find beneficial effects of error management culture on performance in an experimental setting. Furthermore, we tested whether culture strength moderates the relationship between error management culture and performance. In Study 1, we used two tasks that require rational problem solving. In Study 2, we used a task that requires creative problem solving. We successfully manipulated error management culture in terms of an effect on perceived error management culture within the teams. While we did not find a direct effect of error management culture on performance, Study 2 revealed an indirect effect via communication in the teams. To our surprise, culture strength did not influence the hypothesized relationship. We discuss potential theoretical and alternative explanations for our results, and provide an outlook for future studies.
Highlights
Specialty section: This article was submitted to Organizational Psychology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Psychology
While we did not find a direct effect of error management culture on performance, Study 2 revealed an indirect effect via communication in the teams
While we were able to successfully induce error management culture in terms of an effect on perceived error management culture in both studies, only in Study 2, where we included communication as mediating variable, we found that error management culture had an indirect effect on performance in terms of creative problem solving through increased communication among team members
Summary
Specialty section: This article was submitted to Organizational Psychology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Psychology. Field studies indicate that error management culture can be beneficial for organizational performance. While we did not find a direct effect of error management culture on performance, Study 2 revealed an indirect effect via communication in the teams. Error management acknowledges that despite best efforts to prevent errors, it is impossible to avoid errors completely (Reason, 1997) This suggests that dealing with errors after they have occurred is necessary. Errors do not inevitably lead to negative consequences; it is possible to avoid or reduce negative consequences, and even positive consequences can occur Such positive consequences may be learning from errors (e.g., Sitkin, 1992). Studies on error management have mostly focused on effectiveness of error management training for individuals, for example when principles of error management were incorporated in software training (e.g., Keith and Frese, 2008), or on processes and effects of error management on the individual level (e.g., Frese et al, 1991; Dormann and Frese, 1994; Chillarege et al, 2003; Heimbeck et al, 2003; Keith and Frese, 2005; Keith, 2011; for a meta-analysis, see Keith and Frese, 2008)
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