Getting groups to develop good strategies: Effects of reflexivity interventions on team process, team performance, and shared mental models

This study examines the effect of guided reflection on team processes and performance, based on West’s (1996, 2000) concept of reflexivity. Communicating via e-mail, 49 hierarchically structured teams (one commander and two specialists) performed seven 15 min shifts of a simulated team-based militar...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Organizational behavior and human decision processes 2007-03, Vol.102 (2), p.127-142
Main Authors: Gurtner, Andrea, Tschan, Franziska, Semmer, Norbert K., Nägele, Christof
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Communication Strategies
Conceptual Tempo
Coordination
Development
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Group Dynamics
Intervention
Occupational psychology
Organization and management. Professional relation
Organization theory
Organizational behavior
Performance Factors
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Reflexivity
Shared mental models
Social psychology
Strategic planning
Strategy development
Studies
Team performance
Team process
Teams
Teamwork
Vertical Organization
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Summary:This study examines the effect of guided reflection on team processes and performance, based on West’s (1996, 2000) concept of reflexivity. Communicating via e-mail, 49 hierarchically structured teams (one commander and two specialists) performed seven 15 min shifts of a simulated team-based military air-surveillance task (TAST) in two meetings, a week apart. At the beginning of the second meeting, teams were assigned either to a reflexivity (individual or group) or to a control condition. Results show that reflexivity enhanced performance, the link between reflexivity and team performance being mediated by communication and implementation of strategies as well as by similarity of mental models. Contrary to expectations, individual reflexivity was superior to group reflexivity. Additional analyses suggested that group reflexivity decreased the commanders’ active behavior and increased discussion of strategies that were too general to be helpful. Results point to the usefulness of reflexivity as a generic intervention but underscore the importance of focusing on strategies that are task-specific.
ISSN:0749-5978
1095-9920
DOI:10.1016/j.obhdp.2006.05.002