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When Does Group Efficacy Deteriorate Group Performance? Implications of Group Competency.
1Heller College of Business, Roosevelt University, Chicago, IL 60605, USA.
Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland)
|October 26, 2022
Summary
Group efficacy positively impacts performance, especially with less competent teams. However, low member competency can create bottlenecks, negatively affecting group efficacy and performance.
Area of Science:
- Social Cognitive Theory
- Organizational Psychology
- Team Performance
Background:
- Social cognitive theory posits that group efficacy beliefs enhance performance.
- Emerging research suggests a more complex relationship between group efficacy and performance.
- Understanding boundary conditions is crucial for accurate theoretical application.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the boundary conditions of the group efficacy-performance relationship.
- To examine how member competency moderates the link between group efficacy and performance.
- To identify specific conditions, like bottlenecks, that may invert this relationship.
Main Methods:
- Data collected from 389 employees across 41 work groups in a South Korean manufacturing company.
- Analysis focused on the correlation between group efficacy and group performance.
- Group competency and bottlenecks were operationalized and statistically analyzed.
Main Results:
- A positive correlation was found between group efficacy and group performance.
- This positive relationship was stronger when group members were generally less competent.
- Bottlenecks (minimum competency) in efficacious groups were associated with a negative efficacy-performance link.
Conclusions:
- Group efficacy is a significant predictor of group performance.
- Member competency acts as a crucial moderator, with lower competency amplifying the positive effect.
- The presence of bottlenecks can disrupt the positive efficacy-performance dynamic, highlighting the importance of skill distribution.
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