Work Group Outcomes Research Articles

Diversitŕ nei gruppi di lavoro e performance

- The key question in diversity research concerns the effects of diversity on Work Group processes and work group performance. In this setting most of research has been performed according to two distinct perspectives, the social categorization and the information decision making. So far however, the research has yielded ambiguous results: diversity seems to have positive as well negative effects on work group work group outcomes (Milliken, Martins, 1996; Brewer, 1995; Guzzo, Shea, 1992; Jehn, Northcraft, Neale, 1999; Triandis et al.,1994). Recently, van Knippenberg, De Dreu, Homan (2004) proposed the Categorization Elaboration Model CEM (van Knippenberg et al., 2004; van Knippenberg, 2007), which deals with those ambiguous results by incorporating as well as integrating the social categorization and the information decision making perspectives. The model set an agenda for future research in work group diversity.

GMO monitoring data coordination and harmonisation at EU level – Outcomes of the European Commission Working Group on Guidance Notes supplementing Annex VII of Directive 2001/18/EC

A major objective of the European Commission Monitoring Working Group (MWG) on Guidance Notes supplementing Annex VII of Directive 2001/18/EC was to explore the possibility of European Union (EU)-wide coordination and harmonisation of data resulting from monitoring of genetically modified (GM) crops.

Intragroup conflict as a mediator between cultural diversity and work group outcomes

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent to which intragroup conflict mediates the relationship between cultural diversity and group outcomes.Design/methodology/approachThree types of intragroup conflict were considered: relationship, process, and task conflict. Cultural diversity was defined as group members' dissimilarity in horizontal and vertical individualism and collectivism. Group outcomes were operationalized as satisfaction with the group and perceived performance of the group. Mediated regression analysis was used to test the hypothesized relationships with data from 76 science research groups.FindingsCultural diversity was positively related to relationship, process, and task conflict. In turn, the three conflict types were associated with unfavorable group outcomes. Further, the three types of conflict were shown to mediate the relationship between cultural diversity and group outcomes.Research limitations/implicationsPotential limitations of this study include its cross‐sectional design, common method bias, generalizability of findings, and use of three different questionnaire formats. The possible impact of these limitations is addressed.Practical implicationsAlthough this research implies that culturally homogeneous groups have better outcomes, it is often impossible and undesirable to assemble such groups. The targeted use of cross‐cultural training programs may help individuals function well in culturally diverse groups by lessening conflict and thus allowing more favorable group outcomes.Originality/valuePrevious research has either asserted a relationship between cultural diversity and unfavorable group outcomes or shown a relationship between intragroup conflict and unfavorable group outcomes. The contribution of this study is to show that intragroup conflict mediates the relationship between cultural diversity and group outcomes.

Alcohol & Drug Abuse: Revisiting Employee Assistance Programs and Substance Use Problems in the Workplace: Key Issues and a Research Agenda

This column describes employee assistance program (EAPs) and identifies key issues for contemporary EAPs. These programs began as occupational alcohol programs and have evolved into more comprehensive resources. To better understand contemporary EAPs, the authors suggest a research agenda that includes descriptive studies to provide an up-to-date picture of services; investigations of how contemporary EAPs address substance use problems, including management consultation for early identification; further study of EAPs' effects on outcomes, such as productivity and work group outcomes; examination of the relationship between EAPs and other workplace resources; further examination of influences on EAP utilization; and development and testing of EAP performance measures.

WHERE PERCEPTION MEETS REALITY: THE EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF FAULTLINE PERCEPTIONS, ASYMMETRIES, AND REALITIES ON INTERSUBGROUP CONFLICT AND WORKGROUP OUTCOMES.

We find that perceived faultlines are positively related to intersubgroup conflict (which negatively effects the quality of emergent states and team processes), and that this effect is exacerbated in the presence of objective demographic faultlines, symmetric faultline perceptions, and faultlines perceived to exist based on person-related rather than job-related characteristics.

‘Cultural diversity’ at work: ‘National culture’ as a discourse organizing an international project group

Research to date concurs in maintaining that performance of nationally homogeneous workgroups differs if compared to heterogeneous ones. Yet, results are mixed on the relationship between cultural diversity and workgroup outcomes. The article argues that cultural differences are given explanatory authority, cultural diversity acquiring a positivist status, and group members being treated as ‘dopes of their culture’. An alternative approach is to conceive ‘cultural diversity’ and ‘national culture’ as discursive resources used by group members in everyday group life. The author followed an international project group for over 17 months,observing how group members discussed and made sense of what went on. Findings suggest that the way members in international project groups use the ‘national/cultural’ discourse plays a crucial role in the organization of the project. More specifically, results demonstrate that group members shaped and developed their international project in important ways by using the discourses on ‘national culture’ and ‘cultural diversity’ to excuse confusion and misunderstanding, to position themselves vis-à-vis the group, to justify decisions and to give the group a raison d'être. Implications are drawn concerning the need for researchers to acknowledge actors' space for choice in group-life.

Interactions Within Groups and Subgroups: The Effects of Demographic Faultlines

We investigated the effects of intragroup and cross-subgroup communications in an experimental field study on demographic faultlines. The results indicated that faultlines explained more variance in perceptions of team learning, psychological safety, satisfaction, and expected performance than single-attribute heterogeneity indexes. In addition, cross-subgroup work communications were effective for groups with weak faultlines but not for groups with strong faultlines. Overall, this study extends the original faultline model, documents the utility of the concept of faultlines, and identifies some of their effects on work group outcomes.

Meeting the challenges of recruitment and retention of Indigenous people into nursing: outcomes of the Indigenous Nurse Education Working Group

It has been recognised internationally that increasing the number of Indigenous people working as health professionals is linked to the improved health status of Indigenous people. When comparing Australian Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations, Indigenous people continue to have poorer health standards and are much less likely to be involved in employment in health professions than other Australians. In 2000, the Indigenous Nurse Education Working Group (INEWG) was formed by government with the mandate to work collaboratively with universities and important professional nursing bodies across the nation in an attempt to increase the number of Indigenous registered nurses and to prepare nursing graduates with better understanding of, and skills to assist with, Indigenous health issues. This paper describes the work of the INEWG from 2000 to mid-2003; firstly in developing and implementing strategies aimed at increasing the recruitment and retention of Indigenous people into undergraduate nursing programs; and secondly by helping university schools of nursing increase faculty and student understanding of Indigenous culture, history and health issues through educational processes. Lastly, it summarises the INEWG's 2002 recommendations to achieve a higher rate of Indigenous participation in nursing. The results of research into the success of these recommendations will be the subject of a later paper.

Climate for opportunity:: A conceptual model

Climate theory is integrated with justice theory and the values literature to develop a model of climate for opportunity. The climate for opportunity model is offered as a useful framework for organizations interested in managing diversity. The core of the model addresses the complex manner in which environmental factors, experiences, values, and cognitions create perceptions about fair treatment in the workplace. Antecedents at the organizational, work group, and individual levels are considered. Climate for opportunity's impact on individual, work group, and organizational level outcomes are also discussed. The model provides a practical framework for understanding the complexities of managing fairly and undertaking climate change interventions.

Cultural Diversity at Work: The Effects of Diversity Perspectives on Work Group Processes and Outcomes

This paper develops theory about the conditions under which cultural diversity enhances or detracts from work group functioning. From qualitative research in three culturally diverse organizations, we identified three different perspectives on workforce diversity: the integration-and-learning perspective, the access-and-legitimacy perspective, and the discrimination-and-fairness perspective. The perspective on diversity a work group held influenced how people expressed and managed tensions related to diversity, whether those who had been traditionally underrepresented in the organization felt respected and valued by their colleagues, and how people interpreted the meaning of their racial identity at work. These, in turn, had implications for how well the work group and its members functioned. All three perspectives on diversity had been successful in motivating managers to diversify their staffs, but only the integration-and-learning perspective provided the rationale and guidance needed to achieve sustained benefits from diversity. By identifying the conditions that intervene between the demographic composition of a work group and its functioning, our research helps to explain mixed results on the relationship between cultural diversity and work group outcomes.

Why Differences Make a Difference: A Field Study of Diversity, Conflict and Performance in Workgroups

A multimethod field study of 92 workgroups explored the influence of three types of workgroup diversity (social category diversity, value diversity, and informational diversity) and two moderators (task type and task interdependence) on workgroup outcomes. Informational diversity positively influenced group performance, mediated by task conflict. Value and social category diversity, task complexity, and task interdependence all moderated this effect. Social category diversity positively influenced group member morale. Value diversity decreased satisfaction, intent to remain, and commitment to the group; relationship conflict mediated the effects of value diversity. We discuss the implications of these results for group leaders, managers, and organizations wishing to create and manage a diverse workforce successfully.

EFFECTS OF LEADERSHIP STYLE AND PROBLEM STRUCTURE ON WORK GROUP PROCESS AND OUTCOMES IN AN ELECTRONIC MEETING SYSTEM ENVIRONMENT

Organizations are increasingly utilizing electronic meeting systems to enhance work group process and outcomes. Because leadership is a key group attribute, it is important to examine how behaviors of leaders influence work groups using electronic meeting systems. Results of a laboratory experiment indicated that (a) Participants made more supportive remarks under a consultative form of participative leadership than directive leadership; (b) Participants proposed more solutions and made fewer critical remarks for a fairly structured problem than for a moderately structured problem; (c) Participative leadership was more conducive to proposal of solutions for a moderately structured problem, while directive leadership was more conducive for a fairly structured problem; and (d) Frequency of solution proposals in turn affected group productivity and satisfaction. Implications for personnel practitioners and research on leadership in electronic meeting environments are presented.

Demographic Diversity, Conflict, and Work Group Outcomes: An Intervening Process Theory

Research has suggested that, within a work group, diversity with respect to members' demographic backgrounds can have a powerful effect on both turnover from the group and on the group's performance on cognitive tasks (i.e., “thinking” tasks that involve generating plans or ideas, solving problems, or making decisions). While such diversity tends to increase turnover, its effects on cognitive task performance are more mixed, sometimes enhancing performance and sometimes impairing it. An understanding of how diversity leads to these outcomes may help managers enhance work group effectiveness. Thus, in this paper I develop a theoretical model to explain the turnover and mixed performance consequences of demographic diversity in work groups. The proposed model suggests that each demographic diversity variable (e.g., diversity with respect to age, gender, race, group tenure, organization tenure, education, or functional background) can be classified according to its level of visibility and its level of job-relatedness. Visibility is the extent to which the variable is easily observed by group members, and job-relatedness is the extent to which the variable directly shapes perspectives and skills related to cognitive tasks. The model then suggests that the visibility and job-relatedness of a diversity variable indirectly influence how much turnover and/or performance enhancement the variable yields. More specifically, the visibility and job-relatedness of a diversity variable influence the levels of affective (emotional) and substantive (task) conflict in the group, and the levels affective and substantive conflict, in turn, influence the amount of turnover from the group and the group's performance. After generating six research propositions based on the model, including three addressing demographic diversity variable- conflict linkages and three addressing conflict-turnover and conflict-performance linkages, I discuss boundary conditions of the model and offer recommendations for future research.

Assessing the Outcomes of Professional Practice Redesign: Impact on Staff Nurse Perceptions

There are many reports in the literature of management innovations to redesign nursing roles and care delivery systems in response to the dramatic changes taking place in the healthcare environment. Few of these innovations have been evaluated systematically in terms of the dynamics and effects of change at the work group level. The authors present results of a longitudinal study evaluating the work group outcomes of a professional practice model implemented in an academic medical center. The strategy of integrating ongoing data collection and feedback into a process of continuous change also are presented.

An Exploration of Cognitive Demands in Group Interaction as a Moderator of Information Processing Variables in Perceptions of Leadership

In the application of information processing (IP) models in organizational settings, potential boundary or moderator variables are sometimes overlooked. We investigated whether the impact of important IP variables in the leadership perception literature was affected by a potentially important boundary variable: cognitive demands extraneous to impression formation. In contrast to past research, both quantity and quality (prototypicality) of behavior affected leadership perceptions in both low and high information load conditions. This result implies that prototype‐related processing may be automatic enough to influence perceptions of leadership in actual organizational settings where cognitive demand is often high. Further, quantity of verbal behavior had a significant impact on causal attributions for level of group task performance and on perceptions of control of the groups‘activities, suggesting that this variable may have important implications for inferences about a person's influence on work group processes and outcomes. The significance of these findings for the issues of leader influence and for the measurement of leader behavior is discussed.