Annika L. Meinecke

Social dynamics at work: Meetings as a gateway

Chapter 15 Social dynamics at work: Meetings as a gateway Annika L. Meinecke TU Braunschweig Nale Lehmann-Willenbrock VU University Amsterdam, the Netherlands Abstract Meetings offer an exciting gateway to dynamic social processes in organizations. During their meeting interactions, employees exchange information, build common ground, create new ideas, manage relationships, and make or break team climate. In this chapter, we highlight the potentials and possibilities for research on dynamic social processes during team meetings. Through the lens of a meetings researcher, we discuss how research questions and methodological issues in studying meeting interaction processes can be addressed. By focusing on the observable behavioral conduct of meeting participants (i.e., their verbal communication), we show how micro-level interaction processes, emergent patterns, and the dynamics of social influence throughout a meeting can be revealed. Our chapter includes a how-to guideline for researchers and practitioners interested in carrying out interaction analysis in team meetings. We illustrate our reasoning by providing data from a sample of 24 videotaped team meetings. Finally, we discuss limitations of behavioral research in team meetings. The chapter closes with an outlook and future research questions in the area of dynamic social processes in organizational meetings.

Why Do Adaptable People Feel Less Insecure? Indirect Effects of Career Adaptability on Job and Career Insecurity via Two Types of Perceived Marketability

The aim of the present study was to analyze if and how career adaptability reduces different types of insecurity. More specifically, we argue in a theoretical model at the intersection of career and organizational research that perceived internal and external marketability serve as connecting variables in the link between career adaptability and job and career insecurity. We tested our assumptions by means of multiple indirect effects path analyses across two measurement points (6-month time span) with data from 142 university researchers working in the science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) fields. The results showed that career adaptability was positively related to perceived internal and external marketability, which both subsequently were negatively associated with job and career insecurity. We draw theoretical implications for career research in intra- and extraorganizational settings and discuss practical implications for fostering secure employment.

Observing culture: Differences in U.S.-American and German team meeting behaviors

Although previous research has theorized about team interaction differences between the German and U.S. cultures, actual behavioral observations of such differences are sparse. This study explores team meetings as a context for examining intercultural differences. We analyzed a total of 5,188 meeting behaviors in German and U.S. student teams. All teams discussed the same task to consensus. Results from behavioral process analyses showed that German teams focused significantly more on problem analysis, whereas U.S. teams focused more on solution production. Moreover, U.S. teams showed significantly more positive socioemotional meeting behavior than German teams. Finally, German teams showed significantly more counteractive behavior such as complaining than U.S. teams. We discuss theoretical and pragmatic implications for understanding these observable differences and for improving interaction in intercultural teams.

Developing Students As Global Learners: “Groups in Our World” Blog

This case study investigates the use of online blogs as a teaching tool. A collaborative blog was implemented in parallel classes on group processes in the United States and Germany. Our goal was to connect American and German graduate students by helping them to talk about group communication and meeting behaviors. Collected data included transcripts of the messages, as well as students’ evaluations of the blog (collected at the end of the project). Quantitative analyses assessed students’ participation rates and the content of their postings. Qualitative analysis examined the use of the blog as a teaching and learning tool. The results showed that students interacted more on the blog than was required by the instructor. Students valued blogging as a new learning experience. We discuss the pedagogical implications of blog usage for teaching about groups and provide recommendations for instructors interested in using blogs in their own courses.

Initiating and Maintaining Collaborations and Facilitating Understanding in Interdisciplinary Group Research

In this article of the “Interdisciplinary Insights Into Group and Team Dynamics” special issue, we provide guidance for computer scientists and social scientists who seek an interdisciplinary approach to group research. We include how-to guidelines for researchers interested in initiating and maintaining collaborations, and discuss opportunities and pitfalls of interdisciplinary group research. Last, we include a brief case study that portrays some of the complications of creating shared understanding.

What happens during annual appraisal interviews? How leader-follower interactions unfold and impact interview outcomes

Despite a wealth of research on antecedents and outcomes of annual appraisal interviews, the ingredients that make for a successful communication process within the interview itself remain unclear. This study takes a communication approach to highlight leader–follower dynamics in annual appraisal interviews. We integrate relational leadership theory and recent findings on leader–follower interactions to argue (a) how supervisors’ task- and relation-oriented statements can elicit employee involvement during the interview process and (b) how these communication patterns affect both supervisors’ and employees’ perceptions of the interview. Moreover, we explore (c) how supervisor behavior is contingent upon employee contributions to the appraisal interview. We audiotaped 48 actual annual appraisal interviews between supervisors and their employees. Adopting a multimethod approach, we used quantitative interaction coding (N = 32,791 behavioral events) as well as qualitative open-axial coding to explore communication patterns among supervisors and their employees. Lag sequential analysis revealed that supervisors’ relation-oriented statements triggered active employee contributions and vice versa. These relation-activation patterns were linked to higher interview success ratings by both supervisors and employees. Moreover, our qualitative findings highlight employee disagreement as a crucial form of active employee contributions during appraisal interviews. We distinguish what employees disagreed about, how the disagreement was enacted, and how supervisors responded to it. Overall employee disagreement was negatively related to ratings of supervisor support. We discuss theoretical implications for performance appraisal and leadership theory and derive practical recommendations for promoting employee involvement during appraisal interviews.

Using observational research methods to study voice and silence in organizations

The current article offers a behaviour-based perspective on employee voice and silence in organizations. Specifically, we outline two observational approaches to study the dynamics of voice and silence in real time: coding of voice behaviour using a behavioural instrument, and behavioural rating scales. In an exemplary study, we sampled repeated measurements of voice and silence behaviour based on videotaped supervisor–subordinate interactions during annual appraisal interviews. Both approaches provided insights into temporal processes of silence and voice. At the conversational event level, behavioural coding revealed significant sequential patterns between supervisor behaviour and subordinate voice. Findings showed that supervisors’ listening behaviour played a central role in stimulating subordinate voice at the event level of conversational conduct, whereas discussing the subordinates’ past performing, sharing knowledge and procedural statements had the opposite effect and were significantly less likely to initiate subordinate voice. Finally, our results indicated better reliabilities for voice in contrast to silence when observer ratings were used. We discuss strengths and limitations of both approaches and outline how they complement traditional survey measures. Moreover, we provide recommendations for steering more effective appraisal interviews.

Appraisal Participation and Perceived Voice in Annual Appraisal Interviews Uncovering Contextual Factors

Appraisal interviews (AIs) are one of the most commonly used human resource practices in organizations. However, they are often criticized for comprising conflicting purposes. In this study, we focus on contextual factors of the appraisal process. Specifically, we propose that AIs follow a two-phase model of performance evaluation and development planning. These two phases trigger different levels of employee appraisal participation which, in turn, affects employees’ perception of voice. In a sample of 48 audiotaped AIs, we coded employees’ objective appraisal participation throughout the entire interview session and linked it to subsequent ratings of perceived voice. Results showed that interviews were highly leader-centered and mainly concentrated on performance evaluation. Employees’ appraisal participation was significantly lower during performance evaluation than during development planning. Appraisal participation during development planning, but not during performance evaluation, was related to subsequent ratings of perceived voice. In addition, this relationship was moderated by supervisor trust.

Effects of Media Compensation on Team Performance: The Role of Demographic Faultlines

Modern-day communication in teams is characterized by a frequent and flexible use of various communication technologies. To understand the relationship between this new way of communication and team performance, research suggests incorporating contextual factors. In this study, we explore the role of demographic faultlines and subsequent subgroup formation using data from 164 students nested in 34 software engineering teams working together over the course of 14 weeks. Multilevel modeling revealed a three-way interaction between media richness, communication intensity, and demographic faultlines on team performance. Weak faultline teams evaluated their performance more positively when they compensated for low communication intensity by using richer communication channels and vice versa. In contrast, strong faultline teams were less able to adapt their communication behavior to increase performance. We discuss theoretical implications for team communication and diversity research and provide guidelines for improving communication in diverse teams.