Andreas W. Richter

Probing three-way interactions in moderated multiple regression: Development and application of a slope difference test

Researchers often use 3-way interactions in moderated multiple regression analysis to test the joint effect of 3 independent variables on a dependent variable. However, further probing of significant interaction terms varies considerably and is sometimes error prone. The authors developed a significance test for slope differences in 3-way interactions and illustrate its importance for testing psychological hypotheses. Monte Carlo simulations revealed that sample size, magnitude of the slope difference, and data reliability affected test power. Application of the test to published data yielded detection of some slope differences that were undetected by alternative probing techniques and led to changes of results and conclusions. The authors conclude by discussing the tests applicability for psychological research.

Twelve steps to heaven: Successfully managing change through developing innovative teams

In this article we propose that work teams implement many of the innovative changes required to enable organizations to respond appropriately to the external environment. We describe how, using an input – process – output model, we can identify the key elements necessary for developing team innovation. We propose that it is the implementation of ideas rather than their development that is crucial for enabling organizational change. Drawing on theory and relevant research, 12 steps to developing innovative teams are described covering key aspects of the team task, team composition, organizational context, and team processes.

The effectiveness of teams in organizations: a meta-analysis

The proposed meta-analysis of 61 independent samples aims to identify whether, and if so under what conditions, team working in organizations is related to organizational effectiveness. Team working had a significant though small positive relationship with both performance outcomes and staff attitudes. Our contingency analyses further showed that team working had a stronger relationship with performance outcomes if accompanied by complementary HR measures and in non-health-care settings. Finally, we found that team working is more strongly related to attitudinal outcomes in Sociotechnical Systems and health-care settings.

Does the ‘romance of teams’ exist? The effectiveness of teams in experimental and field settings

When we criticize practitioners for their practice, we need to be sure of both their practice and our criticism. If we try to tell a fire-station commander that his use of teams to fight house fires in an inner city housing area is based on romantic misunderstandings, we might just be dismissed as ivory tower academics. The use of teams to accomplish tasks that could not otherwise be accomplished is central to our species’ development. Catching antelopes on the Savannah 200,000 years ago or taking stones from the Preseli mountains in Wales to Stonehenge in southern England and erecting them in the famous circle could not have been accomplished without teamwork; heart bypass operations require tight interdependent working between surgeons, anaesthetists, surgical nurses and administrators; as passengers on airliners, we regularly rely on teamwork to deliver us safely to our destination. There are as many compelling examples as there are tasks that cannot be accomplished without people working interdependently in small groups. We suggest that the critical question researchers should seek to answer for those who work on such tasks is, ‘How can we work most effectively in teams to accomplish the task?’ A separate, but increasingly important question is, ‘How can we manage organizations so that team based working contributes optimally to organizational effectiveness?’ These, we believe, are the urgent questions we should be answering in research.

Cleaning up the Mess: A Systematic Approach to the Interpretation of Continuous Two-Way Interactions

Common post-hoc probing for interpreting significant moderated multiple regression (MMR) findings include simple slope tests and the Johnson-Neyman technique: methods that rely on hypothesis testin...