Attenuation of the Köhler Effect in Racially Dissimilar Partnered Exercise Reversed Using Team Identity Strategy

Author(s):  
Tayo Moss ◽  
Stephen Samendinger ◽  
Norbert L. Kerr ◽  
Joseph Cesario ◽  
Alan L. Smith ◽  
...  

The authors describe two research experiments exploring the influence of race on the Köhler motivation gain effect with exercise tasks. Experiment 1 tested whether partner racial dissimilarity affects individual performance. Experiment 2 created a team identity recategorization intervention to potentially counter the influence on performance observed in Experiment 1. White male participants were partnered with either a Black or Asian partner (Experiment 1) or with a Black partner utilizing team names and shirt colors as a team identity recategorization strategy (Experiment 2). Racially dissimilar dyads completed two sets of abdominal plank exercises with a Köhler conjunctive task paradigm (stronger partner; team performance outcome dependent upon the weaker-ability participant’s performance). The results of Experiment 1 suggest attenuation of the previously successful group motivation gain effect in the racially dissimilar condition. The simple recategorization strategy utilized in Experiment 2 appeared to reverse motivation losses under conjunctive-task conditions in racially dissimilar exercise dyads.

2011 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 506-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah L. Feltz ◽  
Norbert L. Kerr ◽  
Brandon C. Irwin

The present investigation examined the Köhler motivation gain effect in a health game using an absent partner, presented virtually. The Köhler effect occurs when an inferior team member performs a difficult task better in a team or coaction situation than one would expect from knowledge of his or her individual performance. The effect has been strongest in conjunctive task conditions in which the group’s potential productivity is equal to the productivity of its least capable member. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions (individual control, coaction, additive, and conjunctive) in a 4 (conditions) × 2 (gender) factorial design and performed a series of isometric plank exercises within an exercise game. They performed the first series of five exercises alone holding each position for as long as they could, and, after a rest period, those in the partner conditions were told they would do remaining trials with a same-sex virtual partner whom they could observe during their performance. The partner’s performance was manipulated to be always superior to the participant’s. Results showed that task persistence was significantly greater in all experimental conditions than in the individual control condition. The conjunctive condition was no more motivating than either the additive or coactive conditions. Results suggest that working out with virtually present, superior partners can improve persistence motivation on exercise game tasks.


2000 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 204-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guido Hertel ◽  
Norbert L. Kerr ◽  
Marion Scheffler ◽  
Susanne Geister ◽  
Lawrence A. Messé

Summary: Recent research on the “ Köhler effect” (e. g., Hertel, Kerr, & Messé, 2000a , b ) has demonstrated that persons increase their effort when working with a stronger coworker compared to when working as individuals. One pre-condition for these motivation gains was a conjunctive task structure, suggesting that high instrumentality of the weaker worker's performance for the group outcome is crucial for the effect to occur. Two experiments were conducted to replicate and further explore these instrumentality effects using a physical persistence paradigm. Experiment 1 compared anonymous and non-anonymous teams working conjunctively to test whether collective motives (maximizing group's outcome) or individualistic interests (impression management) are more likely to underlie the Köhler motivation gain effect. Results replicated overall motivation gains and showed only slight effects of the anonymity variation, suggesting that the motivation gains are more a product of collective motives than individualistic interests. In Experiment 2, spontaneous goal setting processes were explored as a possible mediator of the Köhler motivation gain effect. Comparing conjunctive and additive task conditions for weaker group members again demonstrated that high instrumentality is crucial for the Köhler motivation gain effect. Moreover, while there was no reliable difference between these conditions in reported goal setting, simulating high instrumentality goals by explicit instruction in another additive task condition did lead to significant motivation gains.


Author(s):  
DongHeon Seok

The present study examined a factor that could contribute to cross-cultural differences in team performance (viz., age composition between team members) within one group motivation-gain paradigm (viz. the Köhler motivation gain, where a low-ability team member works harder in a team where they are the “weak link” than if s/he were working alone; Hertel, Kerr, & Messé, 2000a). In Exp. 1, I proposed that cultural difference between East Asians and Westerners(e.g., collectivism vs. individualism, interdependent vs. independent self-construal) could moderate the Köhler motivation gain effect, but the results showed that the culture did not moderate the Köhler effect. In Exp. 2, I found that age composition between group members (i.e., working with younger partner vs. older partner) might have different meaning in Korean culture compared to American culture. Finally, in Exp. 3., I conducted an experiment which extended the results of the Exp. 2 in two ways: 1) the Exp. 3 collected actual performance data rather than respondents’ intention to perform, as in the prior study, and 2) the Exp. 3 competitively tested alternative explanations for an age-of-partner effect in Korea. Both the performance results and subjective ratings of the present study suggested that the age effect in Korea could be explained in terms of participant’s felt responsibility in the task performance situation (i.e., Koreans felt more responsibility for the outcome of their group when they worked with a younger partner than an older partner). These results were discussed in terms of the social psychological implications of the deeply rooted Confucianism in Korean society (Koh, 1996). Limitations of the study and implications of the results for understanding existing cross-cultural theories were also discussed.


Author(s):  
Ryan D McMullan ◽  
Rachel Urwin ◽  
Peter Gates ◽  
Neroli Sunderland ◽  
Johanna I Westbrook

Abstract Background The operating room (OR) is a complex environment in which distractions, interruptions, and disruptions (DIDs) are frequent. Our aim was to synthesise research on the relationships between DIDs and (a) operative duration, (b) team performance, (c) individual performance, and (d) patient safety outcomes; in order to better understand how interventions can be designed to mitigate the negative effects of DIDs. Methods Electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO) and reference lists were systematically searched. Included studies were required to report quantitative outcomes of the association between DIDs and team performance, individual performance, and patient safety. Two reviewers independently screened articles for inclusion, assessed study quality, and extracted data. A random effects meta-analysis was performed on a subset of studies reporting total operative time and DIDs. Results Twenty-seven studies were identified. The majority were prospective observational studies (n=15), of moderate quality (n=15). DIDs were often defined, measured, and interpreted differently in studies. DIDs were significantly associated with: extended operative duration (n=8), impaired team performance (n=6), self-reported errors by colleagues (n=1), surgical errors (n=1), increased risk and incidence of surgical site infection (n=4), and fewer patient safety checks (n=1). A random effects meta-analysis showed that the proportion of total operative time due to DIDs was 22.0% (95% CI 15.7-29.9). Conclusion DIDs in surgery are associated with a range of negative outcomes. However, significant knowledge gaps exist about the mechanisms that underlie these relationships, as well as the potential clinical and non-clinical benefits that DIDs may deliver. Available evidence indicates that interventions to reduce the negative effects of DIDs are warranted, but current evidence is not sufficient to make recommendations about potentially useful interventions.


1992 ◽  
Vol 36 (17) ◽  
pp. 1342-1345
Author(s):  
Mary D Zalesny

What if we took seriously the fact that team performance is not synonymous with individual performance? Although teams appear to be the new workhorses of economic and social goal accomplishment, the processes by which they accomplish their goals remains relatively unexplicated and not well understood. In this paper, we argue that coordination is an important unifying construct for defining, measuring, researching, and training effective team performance.


Author(s):  
Srabasti Chatterjee

Purpose The major focus in the current scenario in organizational settings has shifted from individual performance to team performance. The current study investigates team performance and its antecedents from both social and cognitive dimensions and hence provides a qualitative and synopsis of the same. There is one such antecedent transactive memory which collectively looks into both the facets. For more than a decade after the very emergence of this concept, a plethora of work has been done to relate team performance and transactive memory. In an attempt to understand both these multi-dimensional constructs, and to comprehend the interrelationships in a better way, this paper aims to analyze the impact of transactive memory on team performance and how to improve it in organizations. Design/methodology/approach The paper is purely conceptual. So it uses other earlier studies to make necessary propositions. Findings The present study tries to qualitatively analyze the impact of transactive memory on team performance with respect to the various dimensions of team performance both task process and relational performance. The results of the study show a positive relationship between the three dimensions of transactive memory – credibility, consensus and specilaization and team performance. The study also provides recommendations to improvise transactive memory in organizations. Research limitations/implications The paper is not empirical, so further empirical analysis could enrich the results. Originality/value The paper is original in terms of giving solutions to increase transactive memory in organizational set up.


Author(s):  
Dietlind Helene Cymek

Background: In safety-critical and highly automated environments, more than one person typically monitors the system in order to increase reliability. Objective: We investigate whether the anticipated advantage of redundant automation monitoring is lost due to social loafing and whether individual performance feedback can mitigate this effect. Method: In two experiments, participants worked on a multitasking paradigm in which one task was the monitoring and cross-checking of an automation. Participants worked either alone or with a team partner on this task. The redundant group was further subdivided. One subgroup was instructed that only team performance would be evaluated, whereas the other subgroup expected to receive individual performance feedback after the experiment. Results: Compared to participants working alone, those who worked collectively but did not expect individual feedback performed significantly less cross-checks and found 25% fewer automation failures. Due to this social loafing effect, even the combined team performance did not surpass the performance of participants working alone. However, when participants expected individual performance feedback, their monitoring behavior and failure detection performance was similar to participants working alone and a team advantage became apparent. Conclusion: Social loafing in redundant automation monitoring can negate the expected gain, if individual performance feedback is not provided. Application: These findings may motivate safety experts to evaluate whether their implementation of human redundancy is vulnerable to social loafing effects.


Author(s):  
Christopher R Hill ◽  
Stephen Samendinger ◽  
Amanda M Rymal

Abstract Background Practitioners and researchers may not always be able to adequately evaluate the evidential value of findings from a series of independent studies. This is partially due to the possibility of inflated effect size estimates for these findings as a result of researcher manipulation or selective reporting of analyses (i.e., p-hacking). In light of the possible overestimation of effect sizes in the literature, the p-curve analysis has been proposed as a worthwhile tool that may help identify bias across a series of studies focused on a single effect. The p-curve analysis provides a measure of the evidential value in the published literature and might highlight p-hacking practices. Purpose Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to introduce the mechanics of the p-curve analysis to individuals researching phenomena in the psychosocial aspects of behavior and provide a substantive example of a p-curve analysis using findings from a series of studies examining a group dynamic motivation gain paradigm. Methods We performed a p-curve analysis on a sample of 13 studies that examined the Köhler motivation gain effect in exercise settings as a means to instruct readers how to conduct such an analysis on their own. Results The p-curve for studies examining the Köhler effect demonstrated evidential value and that this motivation effect is likely not a byproduct of p-hacking. The p-curve analysis is explained, as well as potential limitations of the analysis, interpretation of the results, and other uses where a p-curve analysis could be implemented.


1980 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 536-536
Author(s):  
Robert C. Williges ◽  
Beverly H. Williges

Many complex, computer-based systems are characterized as requiring successful team rather than individual performance. In systems such as combat information centers, air traffic control centers, and aircrew cockpits, the various individuals must coordinate their performance with other individuals in a relatively rigid task and communication structure in order to complete their mission successfully. Given the widespread existence of requirements for team functioning, it is surprising that the research literature dealing with team performance is so limited.


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