Social Interdependence Theory Research Articles

When competitive rewards create obsessions with bottom‐line outcomes: A social interdependence theory perspective of the mediating role of bottom‐line mentality

SummaryWe rely on social interdependence theory to examine bottom‐line mentality (BLM) as a motivational state that explains the effects of competitive rewards on oppositional actions in the forms of decreases in interpersonal organizational citizenship behavior (OCBI) and increases in social undermining. In line with social interdependence theory, we also examine learning goal orientation as a motivational attribute that can weaken these effects, suggesting that in comparison to employees low on learning goal orientation, employees high on the attribute are less likely to respond to their BLMs (that result from competitive rewards) with dysfunctional behaviors, because these employees will pursue their bottom‐line outcomes with an innate motivation to learn. We tested our hypotheses with three studies: an experimental study, a multisource, field study from a U.S. corporation, and a diverse, multisource, time‐lagged field study. Results from the experimental study and first field study revealed that BLM mediated the negative relationship between competitive rewards and OCBI; the second field study replicated these findings and demonstrated support for our full moderated mediation model. We provide theoretical and empirical support for the notion that BLM can serve as a motivational state that explains the effects of competition on workplace behaviors and learning goal orientation influences these effects.

A framework informing the interplay of physical, digital and social spaces in supporting an environment for active learning

ABSTRACT This study aims to provide insights from the STEM and non-STEM perspectives on the interplay of the physical, digital and social spaces in supporting active learning processes (constructivism, collaboration and self-regulation) explored through the Social Interdependence Theory (SIT). Specifically, the fluid movement between physical and digital learning spaces may subconsciously influence how lecturers should teach. This study adopts a mixed-methods approach, supplementing quantitative questionnaires with qualitative data from semi-structured interviews. There were eight STEM and four non-STEM lecturers from an established private university in Malaysia who volunteered for this study. Data from the semi-structured interviews were analysed using the codebook analysis as a form of thematic analysis. To this end, the seating arrangement in a classroom may indicate to students how information should be transmitted, informal gatherings build social bonds and teaching and grades may affect collaboration. In relation to the five constructs of SIT, we suggest the CPC (Cohesiveness, Participation, Collaboration) active learning framework for considering the interplay of the three spaces mentioned within the evolving pedagogies and the learning process. Specifically, cohesiveness which sits at the core of the framework, provides a pivotal support for the other two dimensions, that is, participation and collaboration.

English Teachers' Understanding of Cooperative Language Learning and its Opportunities and Challenges in Teaching Writing Skills

Cooperative language learning (CLL) is one of the most successful, effective and extensively used learner-centred strategies in teaching writing skills which can help pupils acquire transferable abilities and motivate them to learn the language in pairs and groups in the classroom. The study aimed to explore the English language teachers' understanding of CLL and its opportunities to enhance students' writing skills along with some challenges they encounter in applying it. It was carried out within the theoretical framework of social interdependence theory. To carry out the study, the phenomenological research method was employed. Two English teachers were purposively selected as the participants for the study of two public schools in Rupandehi. The in-depth interview was used as a major technique for collecting information. The study revealed that the English language teachers had a good understanding and positive views toward CLL to enhance the writing skills of the students. The result also indicated that maximized learning opportunities, teacher as a facilitator, addressing mixed ability learners and increased interaction are the opportunities while multi-level and poor educational background of students, lack of regular professional training and collaborative culture, poor class management and less administrative support have been realized as challenges in effective implementation of CLL. The application of CLL can help revolutionize the traditional way of teaching writing skills engaging learners with the assigned writing tasks.

Teacher teams: A safe place to work on creating and maintaining a positive school climate

AbstractCreating and sustaining a positive school climate is not done in isolation but requires continuous ongoing work by several people within the school, and one of the most important actors are the teachers. In order to fulfil this very important task, the teachers need to collaborate with colleagues at school in an organized manner. In this study, we aim to explore and analyse teachers’ perspectives on how their teacher team might be linked to their school climate work, and what team characteristics facilitate their work to create and maintain a positive and supportive climate within their school. To understand teachers’ comprehension of their team, we applied a social psychology framework, using social interdependence theory and the concept of psychological safety. Data were collected by means of 14 semi-structured focus group interviews with 73 teachers from two compulsory schools in southeast Sweden. The findings revealed that teachers perceived the team as the most significant support structure when it comes to school climate work. According to them, the team was associated with shared responsibility, support and help, as well as safety and an open climate. By elucidating teachers’ insider perspectives regarding their working conditions aligned to their work with school climate, we conclude that well-functioning teacher teams are experienced as a safe place to work on creating and maintaining a positive school climate.

Inter-team cooperation: an overlooked imperative in South Korea's transition to the technological frontier

ABSTRACT The transition for Newly Industrialized Countries to the technology frontier is critical for continued development. Now at this juncture, South Korea's performance indicates problems creating and commercialising new technology products. Various explanations exist but none is complete. We posit that the study of the inter-team dynamics of South Korean national-level project teams in public research institutes, governmental organisations and businesses provides important insights into understanding this problem. Using Social Interdependence Theory, we test for team cooperation as it is crucial for creativity and new technology innovation requisite at the technology frontier. Our findings show that team activity management at the local organisational level is perceived as positive by the teams, but they have serious concerns over the present government top-down directorial policy. This suggests the adoption of a more collaborative approach between the levels of the National System of Innovation.

Resolving organizational peer conflict via integrative behaviors: the role of trust and informational support

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of trust, informational support and integrative behaviors in the effective outcomes of peer conflict in the workplace. Design/methodology/approach Deidentified secondary data were provided by a human resource management company that offers conflict resolution training. The authors studied a sample of 815 supervisors and middle-level managers (51% female; average age = 40) who reported their primary work experience was in the USA. Each respondent described a workplace conflict with a peer. A regression-based bootstrapping technique was used to test the hypothesized relationships between the constructs of trust, informational support, integrative behaviors and effective outcomes in peer conflict. Findings The relationship between trust and the use of integrative behaviors during peer conflict is conditional on the availability of informational support, such that those who solicit a third party’s views are more likely to exhibit integrative behaviors during the conflict under study, even at relatively lower levels of trust in the conflict relationship. Originality/value In this study, the authors add to social interdependence theory and the role of integrative behaviors by proposing the importance of interpersonal trust and informational support, which may reduce uncertainty during peer conflict. The authors also extend existing literature on cooperation, cooperative approaches to managing conflict and integrative behaviors in the workplace by examining peer-to-peer organizational conflict.

Actions, not Actor Identities, Affect Beliefs About Cooperation in Human-Machine Teaming

The efficacy of future human-machine teams will be determined by the ability of machine agents to work cooperatively with their human teammates. The ways teammates engage in cooperative teamwork behaviors might affect human beliefs about expressed cooperativity, and these changes in beliefs might depend on the identity of a teammate as a human or machine. In the current experiment we investigated how violations of cooperation expectations, presented to participants in a narrative vignette, influenced ratings on a measure of cooperation derived from social interdependence theory. As expected, participants rated vignette actors as less cooperative if the story included violated cooperation expectations, but consistent with previous research, the identities of the actors as humans or robots did not appear to influence ratings. Overall, this is a useful expansion on previous work describing the factors that influence perceptions of cooperation in human-machine teaming.

Relational Climate and Organizational Performance - An Empirical Investigation in Oil and Gas Public Sector in India

Purpose:The aim of the study is to look at the role relational climate might play in enhancing the organizational performance and understanding its influence on relationship between SHRM and organizational performance in the context of public sectors. Theoretical Framework:This research has been anchored on the ‘Relational Models Theory’ of Fiske (1992) to explain relational climate and ‘Social interdependence Theory’ of Johnson & Johnson (2005) to comprehend how relational climate affects organisational performance. Design/methodology/approach:Data were obtained from 327 Executives by means of a questionnaire survey from 10 public sector oil companies in India and analysed through SPSS and structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Findings:This study established that relational climate strongly affects organizational performance. By empirically examining the notion of relational climate and demonstrating a strong positive correlation between relational climate and organisational performance, this study adds to the body of knowledge on relational HRM. Research, Practical & Social implications: This study contributes by discussing practical implications that managers must build an effective relational climate which will facilitate in developing environment for shared purpose, shared vision, compassion and mutual respect in the workplace to improve organizational performance. The study's societal implications include the development of a supportive interpersonal environment that fosters cooperation, respect, and relational vibrancy at work. Originality/Value: This study highlighted the effect of relational climate on organizational performance in the public sector context.

‘Staying Close’: Enabling social interdependence for young people leaving residential care in England

AbstractApplying social interdependence theory as a framework for document analysis, this paper considers eight evaluations of an extended care scheme in England known as ‘Staying Close’. Findings suggest that for extended care projects like ‘Staying Close’ to work, any service offer designed to support the transition from residential care to independent living must be seen by the young person, the carer, and the wider social network, as a continuation of earlier efforts to build and nurture a genuinely committed relationship. A new interrelations model for extended care is introduced and implications are discussed for strategic responses that enable young people, their carers and wider social network to promote opportunities for social interdependence.

Embedding evaluation in non-profit organisations: Lessons from evaluation advocates

Integrating evaluation initiatives in organisations as part of routine operations to support organisational learning and development can be difficult; extant literature lacks detail on the factors enhancing sustainability. This article presents research undertaken with evaluation advocates attempting to embed evaluation in their Australian non-profit organisations. The research involved interviewing seventeen participants, four of whom also were the focus of organisational case studies. The researchers used social interdependence theory to understand participants’ strategies for embedding evaluation and found that some elements of cooperative teamwork were more prominent than others. Participants in high hierarchical positions, or those who had influence, worked intentionally and incorporated strategies that aligned with all five elements. Examples of those strategies and their use in context presented herein may help leaders and internal and external evaluators increase the likelihood of embedding evaluation in organisational systems.

Tacit knowledge sharing in information systems development projects: social interdependence and regulatory focus perspectives

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine tacit knowledge sharing within information systems development (ISD) projects by exploring the combination of social interdependence theory and regulatory focus theory (RFT).Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted on 198 ISD professionals to investigate the effect of social interdependence on tacit knowledge sharing. The survey data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), and the results were discussed.FindingsThis study reveals that team members tend to share tacit knowledge in a way characterized by cooperative interdependence, and different patterns of social interdependence have an impact on tacit knowledge sharing. The RFT explains the disparities in attitude toward tacit knowledge sharing. Specifically, individuals with a prevention-focused orientation positively moderate the impact of competitive interdependence on tacit knowledge sharing, while those with a promotion-focused orientation have a negative moderating effect on the effect of competitive interdependence on tacit knowledge sharing. Moreover, promotion-focused individuals negatively moderate the effect of cooperative interdependence on tacit knowledge sharing.Originality/valueThe study identifies important aspects of social interdependence in ISD projects that affect the management of tacit knowledge. Furthermore, the study shows that the influence of cooperative and competitive interdependence on tacit knowledge sharing is moderated by the regulatory focus of an individual, providing new insights into ISD knowledge management.

Task-related collaborative behaviours in task-based oral peer interactions

ABSTRACT Collaboration in peer interaction has been investigated extensively by analysing language-related episodes (LREs). These have been classified variously depending on the nature of the discourse. Most studies of collaboration in peer interaction have thus tended to adopt a predetermined framework for analysis. Meanwhile, task type as a mediating factor has been widely examined by identifying and quantifying LREs. This study, drawing on sociocultural theory, explores this area by taking an ‘emic’ approach, focusing on a bottom-up analysis of collaborative behaviours in task-based EFL peer interactions. The participants were 15 adult learners of a state university in Turkey. Their EFL proficiency level was judged to be B1+ (intermediate) and their ages ranged between 18 and 20. They were randomly assigned to 3 peer groups and completed 8 different speaking tasks orally, involving 4 convergent and 4 divergent tasks.The qualitative analysis of this data identifies 5 categories of task-related collaborative behaviours; namely, (1) pooling knowledge/ideas, (2) encouragement for participation, (3) task policing, (4) simplification of the task and (5) language policing, in both types of tasks. The results are discussed in relation to social interdependence theory and learner autonomy in self-directed learning, and possible explanations for observing such collaboration are also provided.

Successful Bullying Prevention: a Curriculum Based on Cooperative Learning – Theoretical Analysis

At the level of pre-university education units in Romania, there is a visible concern for identifying the most effective strategies to prevent bullying in parallel with the development of social skills for positive interaction. In accordance with these trends, this work aims to identify some educational strategies to prevent bullying that value the dynamics of cooperation. Thus, in the present study we propose to present the theory of social interdependence from the perspective of cooperative learning in the prevention of bullying. In the scientific literature it is shown that students who have more experiences of cooperation have an increased probability of not developing individualistic tendencies or engaging in intentional acts of aggression. On the other hand, social dominance theories show that through competition students compete for a place in dominance hierarchies and may have harmful intentions. The findings of various researchers show that cooperation is an effective strategy against bullying both in secondary school and in primary school. Cooperative learning significantly reduces bullying because bullies and victims share a tendency to be uncooperative. It was also observed that the results of cooperative learning on prosocial ability they have related by the improvement of the relationship between students. Given that bullies prefer to dominate rather than be cooperative, while victims lack social interaction skills, we believe that the success of bullying prevention is found in a curriculum centered on cooperative learning. Therefore, the design of such a curriculum is important from the perspective of developing students' cooperation and interrelationship skills as a strategy to prevent bullying.

Interdependence between Perceived Cooperative Learning, Sense of Belonging, and Generic Skills in Undergraduate STEM Education

The development of sense of belonging and generic skills may be considered important to succeed in higher education and in life and may be enhanced through student group work. For group work to succeed, Social Interdependence Theory and Cooperative Learning suggest that group members need to be positively interdependent. In the present study we conducted a cross-sectional survey in a sample of 401 students in undergraduate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics education in Norway mapping the students’ perceptions of cooperative learning, sense of belonging and generic skills. By means of Pearson bivariate correlation analyses and standard multiple regression analyses, we found that 1) Cooperative Learning was positively associated with the development of both sense of belonging and generic skills, 2) Sense of belonging and generic skills were positively interrelated, and 3) Interaction was the cooperative learning principle contributing most to the association with both sense of belonging and generic skills.

Competitive champions versus cooperative advocates

Abstract
 Background: Evaluation offers non-profit organizations an opportunity to improve their services, demonstrate achievements, and be accountable. The extant literature identifies individuals who can enhance the uptake of evaluation as evaluation champions. However, a paucity of detail is available regarding how to identify them and the support they require.
 Purpose: This research investigated the characteristics and motivations of evaluation champions and examined how they promoted and embedded evaluation in an organizational system.
 Setting: Australian human and social service non-profit organizations.
 Research design: Drawing upon the literature and social interdependence theory, the research took an interpretivist perspective to collaboratively generate knowledge about evaluation champions. The aim was to understand and develop a reconstruction of the characteristics of individuals. This article constitutes a component of a larger research project.
 Data Collection and Analysis: This research used purposive sampling to recruit champions working in Australian non-profit organizations, who were identified via descriptive criteria gleaned from a literature review. The research involved interviewing 17 champions, four of whom also participated in organizational case studies. Analysis of the semi-structured interviews and case studies generated information about the activities, strategies, motivations, and attributes of individuals who championed and advocated for evaluation.
 Findings: This article argues that evaluation advocates is a preferable descriptor when attempting to embed evaluation by cultivating mutually beneficial interactions and cooperative working relationships. This research defines evaluation advocates as individuals who motivate others and provide energy, interest, and enthusiasm by connecting evaluation with colleagues’ personal aspirations and the organizational goals to make judgements about effectiveness. This article includes a field guide to facilitate evaluation advocates’ identification, recruitment, support, and development.

Exploring the Administration of Peer-Assisted Learning (PAL) as a Form of Academic Support at a TVET College in South Africa

ABSTRACT Most tertiary institutions have adopted the peer-tutoring approach to complement the traditional method of teaching and learning. The successful utilization of peer-tutoring as a teaching and learning strategy is determined by the effective administration of the entire process. This qualitative study investigated how the peer-tutoring process was administered at various campuses of a government-funded vocational institution in one of the provinces of South Africa. The Cooperative and Social Interdependence Theory was used to guide this paper to explore the various challenges experienced during the peer-tutoring process administration. The tactics that can be used to improve the administration of peer-tutoring tutoring as a teaching and learning approach are also explored in this case study. The interpretivist paradigm was used to derive in-depth information on the administration of the peer-tutoring process. The study involved 12 staff members, Student Development Practitioners (3), Curriculum Unit (3), and Academic Staff (6). It emerged from the study that the peer-tutoring process was not effectively administered. It was further noted that improving the administration of the peer-tutoring process requires the college’s commitment to providing adequate infrastructure for peer-tutoring classes, providing training to tutors, and ensuring that collaboration exists between Student Development Practitioners, Curriculum Unit and Academic Staff.

Effects of Context, Assistance, and Communication on Beliefs About Cooperation in Human-Machine Teaming

The efficacy of future human-machine teaming will be determined by the ability of machine agents to engage in teamwork behaviors and processes with their human teammates. A critical aspect of teamwork is cooperation, as team members must work interdependently to achieve common goals. In the current experiment we investigated how violations of cooperation expectations, presented to participants in a narrative vignette, influenced ratings of cooperation on a novel measure derived from social interdependence theory. Our results indicated that participants’ ratings of cooperation were strongly influenced by actions associated with assisting and communicating with a cooperating partner; violations in these expectations resulted in much lower estimates of cooperation, though the identity of the actors as two humans or a human and a robot did not appear to matter. Overall, this is an important first step to understanding the factors that influence perceptions of cooperation in human-machine teaming.

The effect of distributive justice climate on virtual team performance: A moderated mediation model.

Based on the social interdependence theory, we proposed that the distributive justice climate affects virtual team performance via high-quality relationships, and then we investigated the boundary effect of team proactive personality. The data used in this study were collected in China, including 327 virtual team members that belonged to 75 teams. The following results are obtained: (1) Distributive justice climate and high-quality relationships have significant positive effects on virtual team performance. (2) High-quality relationships mediate the relationship between the distributive justice climate and virtual team performance. (3) Team proactive personality strengthens the direct effect of the distributive justice climate on high-quality relationships. (4) Team proactive personality strengthens the indirect effect of the distributive justice climate on virtual team performance through high-quality relationships. These empirical results have important theoretical significance for team climate construction, personnel selection, and team performance promotion.

Leader humility and team creativity: The role of team creative efficacy and task interdependence

Although research on leader humility is developing into a prominent literature, the majority of studies have focused on the dyadic or individual rather than collective outcomes of leader humility. Thus, our understanding of the influencing mechanisms and boundary conditions of leader humility remains limited, particularly on the collective work outcome of team creativity, which requires more voluntary effort from employees. Drawing on social cognitive theory and social interdependence theory, our study investigates how leader humility promotes team creativity through team creative efficacy, with the moderation of a contextual factor, task interdependence. We used a sample of 84 teams and 393 employees surveyed in two waves of data collection. Overall, our study yields a mediated moderation model in which the positive indirect effect of leader humility via team creative efficacy on team creativity is stronger when team task interdependence is low rather than high. This study extends our understanding of how leader humility may influence work teams collectively and how the effectiveness of such a leader characteristic may be influenced by a structural factor of the work team. Other theoretical contributions and practical implications are also discussed.

Reflections on COVID-19 and internal evaluation in a humanitarian non-profit.

This article uses reflective practice and social interdependence theory to unpack the ways in which our practice as internal evaluators was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, using the development of a monitoring and evaluation framework as a case study. The reflections are separated into six stages: description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion and action plan. Initial reflections on the impact of COVID-19 drew out the negative effects of the pandemic and associated restrictions, which limited our ability to build rapport and stretched our capacity to balance work and home commitments. Deeper investigation revealed that the disaster pushed us to develop new ways of working that will augment and improve our future efforts. We foresee that these learnings will enable a future with greater ability to offer hybrid online/face-to-face collaborative opportunities that will enhance inclusion and active participation, thereby promoting monitoring and evaluation with greater collective ownership and relevance to a wider audience.