Member competence, group interaction, and group decision making: A longitudinal study

Abstract

Examined the extent to which increased experience in working in a group would affect group vs individual problem solving. The duration and intensity of group involvement for Ss (over 30 hrs) were extensive. In addition, the reward system provided a clear and direct tie between individual or group performance and a significant outcome (i.e., course grades). The decision-making task had a great deal in common with many of the aspects of group decision making in organizations. Results were overwhelmingly in favor of group decision making across time, given this type of task. The percentage by which the group performance score was higher (or lower) than the group's best member was called the group added value. In addition, a synergy ratio was developed in an attempt to measure how much a group added over their best member's contributions. Best members rarely repeated as the top scorer and became less important to the group success as the groups gained experience. The results call into question much of the previous group decision-making research and strongly support the value of group-consensus decision making both in task forces and ongoing organizational groups. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)