Paul S. Goodman

Designing effective work groups

Provides ways to design, manage, and maintain more useful work groups--including labor-management committees, staff meetings, advisory groups, and policy committees. In eleven original chapters, reviews current knowledge about groups and explores new directions for understanding them and improving their effectiveness.

Computer-aided systems and communities: mechanisms for organizational learning in distributed environments

This paper examines the role of computer-aided systems (CAS) for enhancing organizational learning in distributed environments. The basic research questions are: how do features of CAS enhance organizational learning, and how does organizational context influence the role of CAS in organizational learning?The theoretical framework focuses on the decision to contribute and adopt knowledge in distributed environments. Specifically, we investigate the intersections between the features of CAS and inhibitors to contributing or adopting knowledge, in the light of different organizational context variables.Two cases of information environments for knowledge sharing are examined: a formal electronic library system and an informal community that uses a variety of communication technologies. The cases are used to illustrate how the intersection between CAS features and the decisions to adopt and contribute enhance or inhibit knowledge sharing.

An examination of referents used in the evaluation of pay

Abstract This research presents a conceptual framework for determining how people evaluate their pay. The data indicate that people use multiple referents in evaluating their pay. Three classes of referents (Other, System, and Self) are identified, and these referents are significantly associated with feelings about pay satisfaction. Factors affecting the selection of referents are also presented. Level of professionalism and salary relate to the selection of different types of referents. Location in an organizational boundary (vs inside) role did not directly affect the selection of referents.

Familiarity and Group Productivity

The effects of familiarity on group productivity were examined. Familiarity refers to the specific knowledge workers have of their jobs, co-workers, and work environment. In this study of coal-mining crews, absenteeism led to staffing changes that affected the level of familiarity in the work group. Data from 26 crews in two underground coal mines indicate that lower levels of familiarity are associated with lower productivity.

Contribution behaviors in distributed environments

In this paper, we develop a framework for understanding contribution behaviors, which we define as voluntary acts of helping others by providing information. Our focus is on why and how people make contributions in geographically distributed organizations where contributions occur primarily through information technologies. We develop a model of contribution behaviors that delineates three mediating mechanisms: (1) awareness; (2) searching and matching; and (3) formulation and delivery. We specify the cognitive and motivational elements involved in these mechanisms and the role of information technology in facilitating contributions. We discuss the implications of our framework for developing theory and for designing technology to support contribution behaviors.

Absenteeism and Accidents in a Dangerous Environment: Empirical Analysis of Underground Coal Mines

Very few studies on absenteeism have examined its consequences. Most studies have focused on its causes. Our study examined the effects or consequences of absenteeism on accidents. Data were gathered from production crews in five underground coal mines. A unique data set was created that traced on a daily basis the absence event, the companys policy on replacement, and the occurrence of an accident. The concept of familiarity was introduced to explain the impact of absenteeism on accidents. The basic data showed that absenteeism increased the chances for accidents in certain categories of unfamiliarity. Implications for manpower policy and absentee research are discussed.

A process approach to the implementation of new technology

Abstract This paper develops a process-oriented theoretical approach for understanding the implementation of new technology. Five processes - socialization, commitment, reward allocation, feedback and redesign, and diffusion - are conceptually related to the successful implementation of new technology. An approach for improving theoretical specification about implementing new technology is presented and illustrated with a case on vision systems technology.

Methodological Issues in Measuring Group Learning

This article examines current empirical approaches to group learning. It focuses on two central questions: Are these approaches really measuring group learning, and what critical issues should be resolved in future group-learning research? The rationale for this examination is threefold. First, the last 10 years have seen a substantial increase in research on group learning. As this literature accumulates, it is useful to do a critical review of the connection between the concept of group learning and its operational form. Second, there is a lack of clarity in how learning is operationalized—how researchers capture whether learning has occurred. The third rationale is to make explicit some of the features of group learning to serve as a guide for future research.

The Measurement of an Individual's Organization Map

This paper proposes a theoretical framework and operational measure of an individuals organization map, that is his perceptual model of the organization. Data were obtained from two departments in an insurance corporation to study the relationship between the organization map and various structural and personality variables. The analysis gave some support to the validity of the organizationmap scale. The implications of the concept and measure of the organization map for organization theory and administrative practices are discussed. Paul S. Goodman is assistant professor in the Graduate School of Business at The University of Chicago.

Team Innovation Processes An Examination of Activity Cycles in Creative Project Teams

This study investigates cycles of planning, enacting, and reviewing activities over time in teams engaged in creative projects. Drawing on longitudinal case studies of two interactive media development teams, two distinct cycles of planning, enacting, and reviewing activities are identified: experimentation cycles and validation cycles. Experimentation cycles are discovery-oriented processes where teams gather insights into project requirements, constraints, and design specifications through trial-and-error. Validation cycles are correction-oriented processes where teams align their output with project requirements through incremental modifications. These findings are then built on to develop testable propositions about the relationship between the duration of planning, enacting, and reviewing activities and the innovativeness and quality of team outcomes.