Verlin B. Hinsz

The Emerging Conceptualization of Groups as Information Processors

A selective review of research highlights the emerging view of groups as information processors. In this review, the authors include research on processing objectives, attention, encoding, storage, retrieval, processing, response, feedback, and learning in small interacting task groups. The groups as information processors perspective underscores several characteristic dimensions of variability in group performance of cognitive tasks, namely, commonality-uniqueness of information, convergence-diversity of ideas, accentuation-attenuation of cognitive processes, and belongingness-distinctiveness of members. A combination of contributions framework provides an additional conceptualization of information processing in groups. The authors also address implications, caveats, and questions for future research and theory regarding groups as information processors.

Memory performance by decision-making groups and individuals

Abstract Four-person groups and individuals performed memory and decision tasks in an investigation of the social processing of information. As predicted, groups recalled and recognized information better than individuals across a variety of measures and decision conditions. Predictions from various models of group decision-making and problem-solving were compared to group and individual memory responses. No set of predictions closely matched the observed data, suggesting that memory tasks may foster a social process unlike those observed heretofore. Memory responses also indicated that groups check individual errors and exaggerate individual response tendencies.

Assessing Organizational Commitment: An Employee's Global Attitude toward the Organization

In response to numerous calls for a clarification of conceptual and methodological issues related to organizational commitment, the authors propose using advances in the conceptualization of attitudes. In applying this approach, we asked employees to complete semantic differential scales measuring organizational commitment as a global attitude toward the organization and to complete the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ). With a sample of 258 employees from three organizations, it was found that the attitudinal measure correlated strongly with the OCQ (r > .82). Measures of effort, value acceptance, and intentions to stay with the organization predicted little additional variance in the OCQ. The data support the proposal that organizational commitment as generally assessed may best be defined as a global attitude that employees have toward their organization. The authors discuss how treating organizational commitment as an attitude helps to clarify the meaning of the construct, suggests a more direct method of measurement, and encourages new research examining the causes and consequences of organizational commitment.

Shared and coordinated cognition in competitive and dynamic task environments: An information‐processing perspective for team sports

Abstract From a groups‐as‐information‐processors perspective, the notion of shared cognition is crucial to the understanding of team performance. This approach is used to comprehend the effectiveness of sports teams. Typically, sports teams are placed in a dynamic environment in which tasks are highly interdependent. Individual actions have to be coordinated with regard to the team objectives and with regard to the opponent teams actions. Although sports are considered behavioral tasks by their nature, performance may be strongly affected by cognitive processes. We review studies and give examples that demonstrate that the degree to which cognitions are shared and coordinated among the members of such teams influences the extent to which the individual actions are coordinated. The sharing and coordinating of cognitions pertain to the attention, information‐processing, and action phases of the decision making and behavior process. We also discuss how feedback and coaching can affect information processing in teams such that coordination of actions is more likely to arise

Mental models of groups as social systems. Considerations of specification and assessment

The concept of a mental model is described with regard to the way that individuals interact with social systems such as groups. Important considerations are described for identifying the attributes of a system (group) and the attributes of the individuals interaction with a system (group). These attributes then are considered in relation to the individuals mental model, which reflects beliefs an individual has about the way that states of the system lead to outcomes of the system (group), as well as the manner in which the individuals specific interactions with the system (group) lead to the states of the system, and the system (group) outcomes. The key notion of beliefs is used to describe methodsfor analyzing and identifying the attributes of mental models. One approach for assessing mental models, the belief association matrix, is described to illustrate the conceptualization provided here. An empirical assessment using the belief association matrix is demonstrated Issues related to the reliability and validity of mental models are discussed. It is suggested that valid and reliable measures of mental models can provide a substantialfoundation for understanding the way that individuals perceive the relation between their interactions with social systems such as groups, and the outcomes derivedfrom theirinteractions with social systems. Implications of mental models for understanding group interaction and performance are highlighted.

The role of work habits in the motivation of food safety behaviors

The authors considered work habits within an integrated framework of motivated behavior. A distinction made between automatic and controlled action led to 2 measures of work habits: a habit strength measure reflecting the 4 characteristics of automaticity and a measure of work routines under conscious control. Workers at a turkey processing plant (N = 162) responded to an extensive survey of these work habits measures with regard to food safety. Results indicated that attitudes and subjective norms predicted food safety intentions. These intentions, along with perceived behavior control and work habits, predicted reports of food safety behaviors. A mediation analysis indicated that the work routines measure accounted for the variance in self-reported behavior and mediated any effect of the habit strength measure.

Group Members as Actors and Observers in Attributions of Responsibility for Group Performance

Previous research indicates group members have a highly variable pattern of internal and external attributions for their performance. The authors propose that part of this variability may be explained by group members making their attributions from the perspective of both the actor and the observer. Following a pooled-performance task, group members reported inflated internal and external attributions for factors responsible for their performance as compared with attributions individuals made for their own performance. Similarly, group members reported an inflated internal and external attribution pattern of factors responsible for a similar groups performance compared to attributions individuals made for the performance of a similar other. The results demonstrate that unique processes occur in the attributions of group members compared to the attributions of individuals for their performance.

Failure Avoidance Motivation in a Goal-Setting Situation

This study examines the relationships among failure avoidance, performance, and related variables in a goal-setting situation. Failure avoidance has been relatively ignored in research investigating the impact of dispositional factors in goal-setting situations. As a precursor to important goal mechanisms, failure avoidance was considered in light of Lockes (1991) motivational sequence framework for motivational processes. College students (N = 171) responded to a survey assessing performance goals, self-efficacy, and other pertinent variables, and then completed an idea-generating task. The results show that failure avoidance was negatively correlated with self-efficacy, goal commitment, and task performance. The relationship between failure avoidance and performance was mediated by relationships with self-efficacy and personal goals. Goal commitment moderated the relationship between personal goals and performance. The results of this study are discussed in terms of Lockes motivational sequence, suggesting that failure avoidance motivation, although overlooked, has important consequences in goal-setting situations.

Effects of the Information Environment on Group Discussions and Decisions in the Hidden-Profile Paradigm

Research on the Information Sampling Model (ISM) revealed that information items that are known to all group members at the outset (shared information) are more likely to be mentioned during discussion than information items that are only known to individual members (unshared information) (Stasser & Titus, 1985; Wittenbaum, Hollingshead, & Botero, 2004). In prior studies involving the ISM, groups typically functioned in a very specific information environment: All information items were provided in form of unique cues, which described only one of the choice alternatives among which the groups had to choose. Because this specific information environment may impact group discussions and decisions, we included an experimental condition incorporating common cues. In contrast to unique cues, common cues provide information on each and every choice option. As expected, groups in the common-cue condition showed a weaker sampling advantage for shared information, and chose the hidden-profile alternative more often than groups in the classic unique-cue condition.

Teams as technology: strengths, weaknesses, and trade-offs in cognitive task performance

Purpose – This paper aims to assert that teams are a technology used to achieve task goals or social objectives that cannot be accomplished by individuals alone. Much current work in organizations is knowledge based, so it is important to know when to apply teams as a technology and how teams can be effectively utilized for cognitive task performance. This paper describes a number of strengths, weaknesses and trade-offs that accompany teams performing cognitive tasks. Design/methodology/approach – Research comparing team performance to that of similarly treated individuals indicates that teams on average exceed the performance of individuals on cognitive tasks; however, teams rarely match the performance of their best member. Findings – Based on analysis of this research, a set of strengths of teams are highlighted: information pooling, error correction, meta-knowledge, reliability and information sharing. Two weaknesses of team performance on cognitive tasks are also identified: slow to action and coordi...