A comprehensive summary of the second problem of course 4.2 "Groups at work" at the Master Positive Organizational Psychology / Work and Organizational Psychology at the Erasmus University Rotterdam. Most articles are effectively summarized in one or maximal two pages and in bullet points. Articles...
4.2 #2 LG1: What is the relationship between team size & team outcome?
What is the effect of team size?
Aube, Rousseau, & Tremblay, 2011 - Team Size & Quality of Group Experience
Method:
- 97 2-9-member teams with 341 members in public safety sector
- Questionnaires
Results:
- Team size negatively related to quality of group experience (H1)
- Team size positively related to parasitic behaviors (H2)
Parasitism: behaviors that involve getting other team members to do one’s work
negatively related to quality of group experience (H6)
mediates relationship between team size & quality of group experience
(H10)
- Team size positively related to interpersonal aggressive behaviors (H3)
Interpersonal aggression: detrimental physical or psychological behavior towards other
negatively related to quality of group experience (H7)
mediates relationship between team size & quality of group experience
(H11)
- Team size positively relates to boastful behaviors (H4)
Boastfulness: exaggerating one’s own contributions compared to teammates
negatively related to quality of group experience (H8)
mediates relationship between team size & quality of group experience
(H12)
- Team size positively relates to behaviors associated with misuse of resources (H5)
Misuse of resources: inappropriate use of material & equipment
Does not negatively relate to quality of group experience (H9X positive: .24;
may be explained by considering misuse of resources as an outlet for team
members’ frustration without directly affecting interactions with teammates)
mediates relationship between team size & quality of group experience
(H13)
Discussion:
- Relationship between team size & quality of group experience is indirect
counterproductive behaviors may intervene as mediators
The more members there are in a team, the more likely the team is to encounter problems
with its functioning and its outcomes
- Implications:
Managers would benefit by conducting task analyses to build teams that do not include
more than the number of members required to efficiently perform the work
1
, 4.2 #2 LG1: What is the relationship between team size & team outcome?
What is the effect of team size?
Hoegl, 2005 - How to keep project teams small
Teamwork:
- Team performance depends on its ability to work in an interactive mode to achieve a common
team output
- Performance-relevant team processes include task-related & social elements:
Teamwork can be assessed by considering 6 facets of collaborative work process:
communication, coordination, balance of member contributions, mutual support,
effort, & cohesion
Team size effect: Team size ↑
Difficulty of knowledge sharing ↑
complexity of communication structure ↑
social loafing ↑
nonparticipating members ↑
There is no optimal team size: team size must be determined with respect to
- staffing requirements, deriving from the size of the project task, &
- teamwork requirements, deriving from task complexity & uncertainty
Ways to keep project teams small (while providing necessary knowledge & personnel capacity):
1. Create a multiteam project: larger projects should be assigned to several small teams
(subprojects) with their own quality, schedule, & budget objectives
2. Core team versus extended team: rather than having representatives from various organizational
groups be included as formal team members, it is better to establish a core team of individuals
that are necessary for task completion to work directly & interactively together on the project
The remaining individuals outside of the core team may take roles of consulting or
advisory members, who are informed on a regular basis and can provide input as needed
3. Define team-external contributions: specific tasks & contributions toward project completion
can be identified for team-external individuals or groups to provide, rather than including those
individuals or groups within the team itself (outsource work)
4. Project phase-specific team members: keep team members on board during the project phases for
which they are needed, rather than carrying them on the team throughout the whole project
Cohen & Bailey, 1997
Past research suggests that size has a curvilinear or inverted U-shaped relation to effectiveness such that
too few or too many members reduce performance
- BUT 2 studies found that increasing group size actually improved performance without limit
Benefits of increasing team size: larger teams imply fewer teams within a firm, thus
fewer leaders must be trained
less coordination is required among teams,
fewer team proposals must be reviewed by steering & oversight committees
imply that the U-shaped relationship between size and effectiveness may not hold for all types
of teams in organizational settings
2
Voordelen van het kopen van samenvattingen bij Stuvia op een rij:
Verzekerd van kwaliteit door reviews
Stuvia-klanten hebben meer dan 700.000 samenvattingen beoordeeld. Zo weet je zeker dat je de beste documenten koopt!
Snel en makkelijk kopen
Je betaalt supersnel en eenmalig met iDeal, creditcard of Stuvia-tegoed voor de samenvatting. Zonder lidmaatschap.
Focus op de essentie
Samenvattingen worden geschreven voor en door anderen. Daarom zijn de samenvattingen altijd betrouwbaar en actueel. Zo kom je snel tot de kern!
Veelgestelde vragen
Wat krijg ik als ik dit document koop?
Je krijgt een PDF, die direct beschikbaar is na je aankoop. Het gekochte document is altijd, overal en oneindig toegankelijk via je profiel.
Tevredenheidsgarantie: hoe werkt dat?
Onze tevredenheidsgarantie zorgt ervoor dat je altijd een studiedocument vindt dat goed bij je past. Je vult een formulier in en onze klantenservice regelt de rest.
Van wie koop ik deze samenvatting?
Stuvia is een marktplaats, je koop dit document dus niet van ons, maar van verkoper havanna. Stuvia faciliteert de betaling aan de verkoper.
Zit ik meteen vast aan een abonnement?
Nee, je koopt alleen deze samenvatting voor €4,98. Je zit daarna nergens aan vast.
