Paul Heintz and Debra Steele‐Johnson
The current study examined relationships between goal orientation dimensions and other individual difference constructs in order to clarify the conceptual definition of goal…
Abstract
The current study examined relationships between goal orientation dimensions and other individual difference constructs in order to clarify the conceptual definition of goal orientation. Results from a sample of university students (N = 228) revealed that learning goal orientation is related to constructs addressing competence (need for achievement, intrinsic motivation, and private self‐consciousness) and to constructs addressing control (locus of control and dominance). Additionally, results indicated that performance goal orientation is related to constructs addressing individuals' desire for favorable evaluations (social desirability and public self‐consciousness). Finally, we proposed that self‐esteem addresses issues relating to both competence and desire for favorable evaluations, and results revealed support for predicted relationships with learning and performance goal orientation dimensions. Our clarification of the goal orientation construct provides a framework to guide future research.
Charlene K. Stokes, Debra Steele‐Johnson and Anupama Narayan
The purpose of this article is to address and gain a more complete understanding of the effects on performance attributable to the gender composition of teams.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to address and gain a more complete understanding of the effects on performance attributable to the gender composition of teams.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors examined gender as a team composition variable that influences performance on a computer‐based task, and we investigated task framing (masculine/feminine) and competition (isolated/dyad) as explanatory factors in the gender composition‐performance relationship. Whereas previous research combines matched gender dyads in analyses, we distinguished male/male from female/female dyads to isolate the effects on performance and examine competition effects.
Findings
Distinguishing between male/male and female/female dyads revealed only male/male dyads had superior performance. Task framing was not supported as an explanation for the observed performance differences, but competition was. Contrasting the gender effect in competitive conditions relative to isolated conditions revealed a gender difference in performance between competitive conditions only.
Research limitations/implications
Given competition's clear role in the gender composition‐performance relationship, a more rigorous examination and manipulation of competition is needed beyond the comparison of isolated and dyadic conditions.
Practical implications
Previous research suggests to organizations/practitioners that matching teams by gender will result in optimal performance. Based on our findings, such an implementation would be to the detriment of female teams in the organization, and associated legal issues could arise.
Originality/value
The authors found the superior performance of matched teams to be attributable to the matching of male/male teams and the associated competitive context, and not attributable to matched teams in general. The results should be considered as a caution for both the academic and applied domain alike.
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Anupama Narayan and Debra Steele‐Johnson
The purpose of this article is to understand the role of individual and relational self‐concepts on various team processes and outcomes in a team context.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to understand the role of individual and relational self‐concepts on various team processes and outcomes in a team context.
Design/methodology/approach
Participants (n=470) worked in dyads on a computer‐based truck dispatching task, deciding as a team which task activities to perform and in what order. The authors assessed differential relationships between individual and relational self‐concepts and various team processes (e.g. trust) and outcomes (satisfaction).
Findings
Subjective task complexity was influenced primarily by individual self‐concept, specifically their core self‐evaluations. Trust in others was influenced primarily by individuals' relational self‐concepts, specifically their teamwork predisposition. Intrinsic motivation and satisfaction were influenced by both individual and relational self‐concepts.
Research limitations/implications
Future research should examine these effects in teams larger than dyads, with other types of tasks, over longer time periods, and with non‐college student samples.
Practical implications
Depending on the task type, a practitioner might cue different self‐concepts to increase individuals' focus on team performance, individual performance, or both. For example, if the team task is highly interdependent and reciprocal in nature, then the team can be trained together or provided information to cue relational self‐concept.
Originality/value
This paper focuses on the construct of individual and relational self‐concepts and their effects on individual functioning in a team context. The results support and extend prior research by demonstrating that outcomes in a team context can be identified and examined in relation to individual conceptions of the self, relational conceptions of the self, or by both.
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Scholarship on workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is voluminous. Nevertheless, there is relatively little work that examines DEI from an organization development and…
Abstract
Scholarship on workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is voluminous. Nevertheless, there is relatively little work that examines DEI from an organization development and change (ODC) or systems perspective. As a result, there is no unified framework ODC practitioners can use for DEI diagnosis and intervention. The purpose of this chapter is to review the ODC literature with respect to DEI and propose a diagnostic Context-Levels-Culture (CLC) framework for understanding and addressing diversity-related challenges in organizations. We also present a case example of how this framework can be used in DEI consulting, including implications for future research and practice.