Groupthink and Project Performance: The Influence of Personal Traits and Interpersonal Ties

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Riccobono, Francesca; Bruccoleri, Manfredi; Grossler, Andreas
• 署名单位: University of Palermo; Radboud University Nijmegen
• 刊物名称: PRODUCTION AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1059-1478
• DOI: 10.1111/poms.12431
• 发表日期: 2016
• 页码: 609-629
• 关键词: Behavioral operations management; GROUPTHINK; business process reengineering; concurrence-seeking behavior

摘要

This study explores whether the negative impact of groupthink concurrence-seeking behavior (GTB) on business process reengineering (BPR) projects is affected by group members personal traits and interpersonal ties within the group. To this purpose we conduct and present the results of a longitudinal controlled field experiment over 18 BPR projects lasting 3months and involving 18 teams comprising 71 first-year MBA students. The main contribution of this study is twofold. First, we explicitly consider and measure the core construct of groupthink phenomenon: that is, GTB. Existing organizational behavior literature has, contrarily, considered only its causes, symptoms, and outcomes. Second, we show evidence that GTB does have a negative impact on group performance in BPR project settings. In this regards, results also indicate that while perceived control, conscientiousness and interpersonal evaluation mitigate the negative impact of GTB on group project performance, confidence, and previous relationships amplify this negative impact, even if they have a direct positive effect on performance. Thanks to the findings of this study, we are able to provide valuable suggestions to managers in charge of BPR projects for ensuring effective performance of project teams and controlling for potential obstacles due to GTB.