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Adapting to fill the void: Dynamic group coordination as a function of differing domain roles and instrumentality
Author(s) -
Bonner Bryan L.,
Baumann Michael R.,
Netchaeva Ekaterina
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
european journal of social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.609
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1099-0992
pISSN - 0046-2772
DOI - 10.1002/ejsp.2133
Subject(s) - psychology , task (project management) , perception , social psychology , cognitive psychology , function (biology) , set (abstract data type) , incentive , group (periodic table) , domain (mathematical analysis) , task group , working group , knowledge management , computer science , microeconomics , engineering , mathematical analysis , chemistry , engineering management , mathematics , organic chemistry , evolutionary biology , neuroscience , economics , biology , programming language , operating system , systems engineering
In groups, member coordination is influenced by a complex set of factors including who has what knowledge (which implies who is responsible for different task domains) as well as the differing incentives associated with performing within those domains. We show that the distribution of members' expert roles interacts with the desirability of different task domains to impact member perceptions of the task, coordination, and performance. Group members who have expertise in a highly desirable domain (i.e., key experts) perceive the task differently than members who do not and report that their approach to the task is determined to a greater extent by an attention to capturing highly desirable contributions for the group than do other members. Furthermore, when a group lacks a key expert, groups divide the work involved within a highly desirable domain across multiple members. This results in the group doing well in the highly desirable domain itself, but overlooking other domains and performing poorly, overall. We discuss the theoretical implications of this research as well as its practical applications.