Performance in Groups

Outline

Types of tasks Additive Compensatory Disjunctive Conjunctive Discretionary

Additive

When all group members perform the same job and group performance is a sum of individual performance

Examples: Stuffing envelopes, relay race,

brainstorming

Compensatory Judgments of individuals are pooled;

errors by some can be corrected by others

The group average is the group product—again everybody has something to contribute

Examples: Estimating costs, money market

forecasts

Disjunctive Tasks which require the group to select a

single correct answer The achievement of the group is defined by its

most able member

Only one correct answer, getting answer depends on:

someone getting the right answer others recognizing it as being correct!

Examples: Problem solving, math calculations, college quiz

bowl

Conjunctive

Group tasks which require every group member to complete the task The achievement of the group is defined

by its least able member

Examples: Mountaineering team, group

presentation, software projects

Discretionary

Group tasks in which groups can combine individual contributions as it chooses

Examples: Juries deciding how to appropriately

weigh information, a group deciding to take a vote or let the leader choose

How are Inputs Related?

Additive: Performance exceeds best

member

Compensatory: Group performance should

be better than most members

Disjunctive: Performance should match

the best member

Conjunctive: Performance determined

by worst member

Discretionary: Group determines how

inputs are combined Performance depends on

how they're combined

Activity

Get into groups of 4-5

Complete the types of tasks activity 10-1 (p. 301)