Group cognition, membership change, and performance: Investigating the benefits and detriments of collective knowledge

doi:10.1016/j.obhdp.2007.01.005

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes

Volume 103, Issue 2, July 2007, Pages 159-178

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2007.01.005 Get rights and content

Abstract

This study analyzes the effects of group membership change on group cognition and performance to determine how groups can simultaneously leverage oldtimers’ collective knowledge and a newcomer’s expertise. Our analysis focuses specifically on the interrelated effects of the two components of a transactive memory system (TMS)—TMS structure and TMS processes—to explain the cognitive mechanisms through which membership change affects group performance. Results from a laboratory study show that groups that experience partial membership change tend to rely on the TMS structure that oldtimers developed in their original group, and that doing so is ultimately detrimental to performance because it creates inefficient TMS processes. Results from a supplemental study indicate that these TMS process inefficiencies can be avoided when oldtimers are instructed to reflect upon their collective knowledge prior to task execution. We discuss the implications for managing group cognition in organizations where membership change is prevalent.

Section snippets

Membership change

Group membership change occurs when newcomers join a group or one or more original members leave the group (Ziller, 1965). Membership change may occur as a result of turnover, promotions, reassignments as part of larger restructuring efforts, or changes to project tasks or scope. Such events profoundly affect the social relationships in a group, the structure and content of the group’s knowledge, and consequently, group performance (Levine, Choi, & Moreland, 2003). Membership change can have

TMSs and membership change: Theory and hypotheses

TMSs develop as group members learn about what other members know and come to rely on one another to be responsible for expertise, defined here as skill or knowledge in different aspects of the task, such that collectively they possess all of the information needed for their task. TMSs are thought to facilitate quick and coordinated access to deep, specialized knowledge, so that a greater amount of task-relevant expertise can be efficiently brought to bear on group tasks. Empirical research in

Participants

We recruited study participants from an undergraduate business course at a large southwestern U.S. university. Students earned extra credit toward their course grade by taking part in the two-session study. Of the 315 students who agreed to participate, 17 participants were lost to attrition, and 28 were excused because a member of their group did not show up to one of the two sessions. Excused students received full credit for participating. Ninety (90) three-person groups (270 participants)

Results

Means, standard deviations, and intercorrelations among all group-level variables appear in Table 1. Consistent with our predictions, TMS process efficiency during the assembly task is significantly related to operational performance (r = 0.30, p < .01). TMS structure stability is not significantly correlated with operational performance, providing initial evidence that it is the efficiency of TMS processes, more so than TMS structure, that is critical to group performance. None of the group-level

Supplemental study and analyses

Our findings showing inefficient TMS processes and lower performance in partially-intact groups raise important questions about how organizations might mitigate these adverse effects and obtain the benefits of group-level knowledge. We theorize that relying on their familiar TMS structure prevented oldtimers in partially-intact groups from consciously thinking about the ways in which the TMS structure was, and was not, relevant to the new group context. Evidence from the original study supports

Discussion

The purpose of this paper was to examine the effects of group membership change on group cognition and performance. We examined the two components of a TMS—the TMS structure and TMS processes—to reveal the mechanisms by which membership change affects group functioning and performance. Several key findings emerged from our research. First, we found that partially-intact groups from the original study relied on the TMS structure that oldtimers developed when they worked together in the past.

References (58)

H.S. Choi et al.
Minority influence in work teams: the impact of newcomers
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
(2004)
H.S. Choi et al.
Old wine in a new bottle: impact of membership change on group creativity
Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes
(2005)
D.C. Feldman
Who’s socializing whom?: The impact of socializing newcomers on insiders, work groups, and organizations
Human Resource Management Review
(1994)
C.J.G. Gersick et al.
Habitual routines in task-performing groups
Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes
(1990)
D.H. Gruenfeld et al.
What do groups learn from their worldliest members? Direct and indirect influence in dynamic teams
Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes
(2000)
A. Gurtner et al.
Getting groups to develop good strategies: Effects of reflexivity interventions on team process, team performance, and shared mental models
Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes.
(2007)
J.R. Hackman et al.
Group tasks, group interaction process, and group performance effectiveness: a review and proposed integration
A.B. Hollingshead
Communication, learning, and retrieval in transactive memory systems
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
(1998)
A.B. Hollingshead et al.
Gender stereotypes and assumptions about expertise in transactive memory
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
(2003)
R. Klimoski et al.
Team mental model: construct or metaphor?
Journal of Management
(1994)

R.L. Moreland et al.

Exploring the performance benefits of group training: transactive memory or improved communication?

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes

(2000)

K.W. Phillips et al.

Diverse groups and information sharing: the effects of congruent ties

Journal of Experimental Social Psychology

(2004)

L. Argote

Organizational learning: Creating, retaining, and transferring knowledge

(1999)

J.R. Austin

Transactive memory in organizational groups: the effects of content, consensus, specialization, and accuracy on group performance

Journal of Applied Psychology

(2003)

Baumann, M. R. (2001). The effects of manipulating salience of expertise and membership change on transactive memory....

D. Brandon et al.

Transactive memory systems in organizations: matching tasks, expertise, and people

Organization Science

(2004)

S. Faraj et al.

Coordinating expertise in software development teams

Management Science

(2000)

P.S. Goodman et al.

Familiarity and group productivity

Journal of Applied Psychology

(1991)

D.H. Gruenfeld et al.

What newcomers see and what oldtimers say: discontinuities in knowledge exchange

R.A. Henry

Using relative confidence judgments to evaluate group effectiveness

Basic and Applied Social Psychology

(1995)

A.B. Hollingshead

Retrieval processes in transactive memory systems

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

(1998)

A.B. Hollingshead

Cognitive interdependence and convergent expectations in transactive memory

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

(2001)

A. Kane et al.

Knowledge transfer between groups via personnel rotation: effects of social identity and knowledge quality

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes

(2005)

J.A. LePine

Team adaptation and postchange performance: effects of team composition in terms of members’ cognitive ability and personality

Journal of Applied Psychology

(2003)

J.M. Levine et al.

Impact of personnel turnover on team performance and cognition

J.M. Levine et al.

Newcomer innovation in work teams

J.M. Levine et al.

Innovation and socialization in small groups

J.M. Levine et al.

Knowledge transmission in work groups: helping newcomers to succeed

J.M. Levine et al.

Group socialization and newcomer innovation

Cited by (242)

Managing large-scale projects: Unpacking the role of project memory
2024, International Journal of Project Management
Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in a US-based firm engaged in a large-scale information system implementation project, this study presents an inductively developed framework of project memory incorporating three mnemonic co-orchestration practices: situated focusing, synchronizing discourse, and converging boundaries. Project memory is proposed to help manage challenges posed by large-scale projects as we observed in this study. This study offers insights into the role and practices of project memory and provides recommendations for managerial practice related to developing narrative and storytelling skills, strategically using meetings, and fostering a culture of cross-functional collaboration in large-scale projects.
Social perception in Human-AI teams: Warmth and competence predict receptivity to AI teammates
2023, Computers in Human Behavior
Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) promise a future where teams consist of people and intelligent machines, such as robots or virtual agents. In order for human-AI teams (HATs) to succeed, human team members will need to be receptive to their new AI counterparts. In this study, we draw on a tripartite model of human newcomer receptivity, which includes three components: reflection, knowledge utilization, and psychological acceptance. We hypothesize that two aspects of social perception—warmth and competence—are critical predictors of human receptivity to a new AI teammate. Study 1 uses a video vignette design in which participants imagine adding one of eight AI teammates to a referent team. Study 2 leverages a Wizard of Oz methodology in laboratory teams. In addition to testing the effects of perceived warmth and competence on receptivity components, Study 2 also explores the influence of receptivity components on perceived HAT viability. Though both studies find that perceived warmth and competence affect receptivity, we find competence is particularly important for knowledge utilization and psychological acceptance. Further, results of Study 2 show that psychological acceptance is positively related to perceived HAT viability. Implications for future research on social perception of AI teammates are discussed.
The ambiguity of “we”: Perceptions of teaming in dynamic environments and their implications
2023, Social Science and Medicine
In healthcare, organizations increasingly call on clinicians and staff to team up fluidly to deliver integrated services across disciplines and settings. Yet little is known about how clinicians and staff perceive of team membership in healthcare environments where team boundaries are often ambiguous and continually shifting. We draw on the context of primary care in the United States, where fluid multi-disciplinary teamwork is commonly exhorted, to investigate the extent to which clinicians and staff perceive of various roles (e.g., physician, front desk) as members in their teams, and to identify potential implications. Using a survey fielded within 59 clinics (n = 828), we find substantial variation in individuals' perceptions of the roles they consider as team members during an episode of care (e.g., mean team size = 10.60 roles; standard deviation = 5.09). Perceiving more expansive sets of roles as team members exhibits a positive association with performance as measured by care quality (b = 0.02; p < .01) but a curvilinear association with job satisfaction. Separating an individual's perceived core (roles always perceived as part of the team) and periphery (roles sometimes perceived as part of the team), perceiving a larger core is positively associated with performance (b = 0.03 p < .01). In contrast, perceiving a larger periphery is marginally negatively associated with performance (b = −0.02, p < .10). This appears to be driven by divergence from the norm perception of the core, i.e., when individuals attribute to the periphery the roles that are considered by most others to be core. Our findings suggest that individuals viewing the roles they must team with more expansively may generate higher quality output but experience a personal toll. Delivering on the ideal of team-based care in dynamic environments may require helping team members gain clarity about their teammates and implementing policies that attend to job satisfaction as team boundaries shift and expand.
Cognitive versatility and adaptation to fluid participation in hospital emergency department teams
2024, Frontiers in Psychology
From a Spark to a Sweeping Fire: An Integrative Conceptual Review of Group Turnover and a Theoretical Exploration of Its Development
2024, Journal of Applied Psychology
The influence of new collaborators on the innovation performance of focal inventors: the moderating role of network embeddedness
2024, Technology Analysis and Strategic Management

View all citing articles on Scopus

^☆: The authors thank Linda Argote, Caroline Bartel, Ethan Burris, Janet Dukerich, Terri Griffith, Martin Kilduff, Jeffrey Loewenstein, Paul Martorana, Violina Rindova, Margaret Neale, and three anonymous reviewers for their insights and helpful comments on this research.

View full text

Group cognition, membership change, and performance: Investigating the benefits and detriments of collective knowledge☆

Abstract

Section snippets

Membership change

TMSs and membership change: Theory and hypotheses

Participants

Results

Supplemental study and analyses

Discussion

Journal of Experimental Social Psychology

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes

Human Resource Management Review

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes.

Journal of Experimental Social Psychology

Journal of Experimental Social Psychology

Journal of Management

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes

Journal of Experimental Social Psychology

Organizational learning: Creating, retaining, and transferring knowledge

Transactive memory in organizational groups: the effects of content, consensus, specialization, and accuracy on group performance

Journal of Applied Psychology

Transactive memory systems in organizations: matching tasks, expertise, and people

Organization Science

Coordinating expertise in software development teams

Management Science

Familiarity and group productivity

Journal of Applied Psychology

What newcomers see and what oldtimers say: discontinuities in knowledge exchange

Using relative confidence judgments to evaluate group effectiveness

Basic and Applied Social Psychology

Retrieval processes in transactive memory systems

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

Cognitive interdependence and convergent expectations in transactive memory

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

Knowledge transfer between groups via personnel rotation: effects of social identity and knowledge quality

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes

Team adaptation and postchange performance: effects of team composition in terms of members’ cognitive ability and personality

Journal of Applied Psychology

Impact of personnel turnover on team performance and cognition

Newcomer innovation in work teams

Innovation and socialization in small groups

Knowledge transmission in work groups: helping newcomers to succeed

Group socialization and newcomer innovation