The Impact of Perceived Loafing and Collective Efficacy on Group Goal Processes and Group Performance

This paper presents two studies investigating the influence of social perceptions (perceived loafing, collective efficacy, and cohesion) on group goal processes (difficulty and commitment) and group performance. The role of group goal processes as mediators of the relationships between social percep...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Organizational behavior and human decision processes 1998-04, Vol.74 (1), p.62-87
Main Authors: Mulvey, Paul W., Klein, Howard J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Correlation analysis
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Goal setting
Hypotheses
Mediators
Organizational behavior
Perceptions
Performance standards
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Social interactions. Communication. Group processes
Social perception
Social psychology
Studies
Teams
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Summary:This paper presents two studies investigating the influence of social perceptions (perceived loafing, collective efficacy, and cohesion) on group goal processes (difficulty and commitment) and group performance. The role of group goal processes as mediators of the relationships between social perception variables and group performance was also tested. The first study involved a sample of 247 college students in 59 groups working on a team interdependent, divisible academic task. Results supported all but one hypothesis. The mediation hypothesis was not supported as both group goal and social perception variables related similarly to group performance. The second study employed a different design to address some limitations of the first study and to extend those findings. Results from the second study, using 383 college students in 101 groups, were consistent with Study 1 with two exceptions. First, the mediation hypothesis was supported in Study 2, replicating the findings of Klein and Mulvey (1995). Second, anticipated lower effort and the sucker effect, additional intervening variables examined in Study 2, partially mediated the relationship between perceived loafing and collective goal difficulty as hypothesized.
ISSN:0749-5978
1095-9920
DOI:10.1006/obhd.1998.2753