In Search Of Synergy In Small Group Performance

This volume critically evaluates more than a century of empirical research on the effectiveness of small, task-performing groups, and offers a fresh look at the costs and benefits of collaborative work arrangements. The central question taken up by this book is whether -- and under what conditions -- interaction among group members leads to better performance than would otherwise be achieved simply by combining the separate efforts of an equal number of people who work independently. This question is considered with respect to a range of tasks (idea-generation, problem solving, judgment, and decision-making) and from several different process perspectives (learning and memory, motivation, and member diversity). As a framework for assessing the empirical literature, the book introduces the concept of 'synergy.' Synergy refers to an objective gain in performance that is attributable to group interaction. Further, it distinguishes between weak and strong synergy, which are performance gains of different magnitude. The book highlights the currently available empirical evidence for both weak and strong synergy, identifies the conditions that seem necessary to produce each, and suggests where the search for synergy might best be directed in the future. The book is at once a high-level introduction to the field, a review of the field's history, and a scholarly critique of the current state-of-the-art. As such, it is essential reading for graduate students, advanced undergraduate students, and researchers interested in group dynamics generally -- and small group performance in particular.

Rapid technological change, global competition, and economic uncertainty have all contributed to organizations seeking to improve creativity and innovation. Researchers and businesses want to know what factors facilitate or inhibit creativity in a variety of organizational settings. Individual Creativity in the Workplace identifies those factors, including what motivational and cognitive factors influence individual creativity, as well as the contextual factors that impact creativity such as teams and leadership.The book takes research findings out of the lab and provides examples of these findings put to use in real world organizations. Identifies factors facilitating or inhibiting creativity in organizational settings Summarizes research on creativity, cognition, and motivation Provides real world examples of these factors operating in organizations today Highlights creative thought processes and how to encourage them Outlines management styles and leadership to encourage creativity Explores how to encourage individual creativity in team contexts

This volume provides an overview of the methodological issues and challenges inherent in the study of small groups from the perspective of seasoned researchers in communication, psychology and other fields in the behavioral and social sciences. It summarizes the current state of group methods in a format that is readable, insightful, and useful for both new and experienced group researchers. This collection of essays will inspire new and established researchers alike to look beyond their current methodological approaches, covering both traditional and new methods for studying groups and exploring the full range of groups in face-to-face and online settings. The volume will be an important addition to graduate study on group research and will be a valuable reference for established group researchers, consultants and other practitioners. The essays in this volume when considered as a whole will be a contemporary interdisciplinary integration on group research methods.

Written by the scholars who first developed the theory of self-leadership, Self-Leadership: The Definitive Guide to Personal Excellence offers powerful yet practical advice for leading oneself to personal excellence. Grounded in the most recently published, cutting-edge self-leadership research, this milestone book is based on a simple yet revolutionary principle: first learn to lead yourself, then you will be able to effectively lead others. This inclusive approach to self-motivation and self-influence equips readers with the strategies and tips they need to strengthen their own personal effectiveness. The updated Second Edition resonates with today’s students by featuring contemporary examples, new cases, new feature boxes, and the latest research.

This book explores the universe and its subsystems from the three lenses of evolutionary (contingent), developmental (predictable), and complex (adaptive) processes at all scales. It draws from prolific experts within the academic disciplines of complexity science, physical science, information and computer science, theoretical and evo-devo biology, cosmology, astrobiology, evolutionary theory, developmental theory, and philosophy. The chapters come from a Satellite Meeting, "Evolution, Development and Complexity" (EDC) hosted at the Conference on Complex Systems, in Cancun, 2017. The contributions have been peer-reviewed and contributors from outside the conference were invited to submit chapters to ensure full coverage of the topics. This book explores many issues within the field of EDC such as the interaction of evolutionary stochasticity and developmental determinism in biological systems and what they might teach us about these twin processes in other complex systems. This text will appeal to students and researchers within the complex systems and EDC fields.

The many groups we belong to influence our lives in crucial ways.This volume provides a comprehensive overview of classic and contemporary issues in the field of group processes and will interest scholars in various disciplines, including social and organizational psychology, sociology, communication, economics, and political science.

This practical guide draws on cognitive science and work with Fortune 500 companies to help readers develop essential collaborative skills. Collaborative intelligence is a measure of our ability to think with others on behalf of what matters to us all. It is emerging as a new professional currency at a time when influence is more important than power, and success relies on the ability to inspire. Through a series of practices and strategies, this book helps us develop our own collaborative intelligence. The authors teach us how to value intellectual diversity and recognize our own mind patterns. By mapping the talents of our teams, we’re able to embark together on an aligned course of action and influence. Collaborative Intelligence is the culmination of more than fifty years of original research that draws on Dawna Markova’s background in cognitive neuroscience and her most recent work, with Angie McArthur, as a “Professional Thinking Partner” to some of the world’s top CEOs and creative professionals. In their experience, managers who appreciate intellectual diversity will lead their teams to innovation; employees who understand it will thrive because they are in touch with their strengths; and an entire team who understands it will come together to do their best work in a symphony of collaboration.

"An instant classic, this authortative and readable text fills an important and enduring need in the field---John T. Cacioppo, Tiffany and Margaret Blake Distinguished Service Professor, and Director of the Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience. The University of Chicago --Book Jacket.