The Benefits of Early Diverse and Late Shared Task Cognition

Abstract

To perform well over time, teams must balance competing needs—the need to make quality decisions and the need to coordinate action. However, these elements are paradoxically related because the processes that improve one can inhibit the other. The present article examines the role of task accomplishment phases as moderating the value of cognitive structure on teams’ performance trajectory and end-state performance. Using student teams engaged in a business simulation, we find that heterogeneous task cognition is beneficial in the strategizing phase, but that this effect reverses during the implementation–adjustment phase when homogeneous task cognition becomes more useful. In addition, we examine action processes as a substitute for homogeneous task cognition during implementation–adjustment and propose that teams can overcome suboptimal cognitive configurations. We discuss the implications of our research in terms of what is important for team performance.

Current research trends on cognition, integrative complexity, and decision-making: a systematic literature review using activity theory and neuroscience

“…Figure 9 demonstrates that the quantitative approach is the most frequently observed, with 15 articles utilizing this method. Surveys and tests were commonly used in this approach, as seen in studies by Fern et al (2012) , Liu et al (2015) , Zhang et al (2015) , Meynhardt et al (2017) , Baba (2018) , Church et al (2019) , Wang et al (2019) , and Zhou et al (2020) . One study conducted these techniques online ( Behnke et al, 2020 ).…”

To Share or Not to Share? Knowledge Convergence and Divergence in Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration

“…For example, if the research is intended to be more transdisciplinary (extending discipline-specific theories so new approaches are created) than multidisciplinary (working from own discipline-specific perspectives) (Bammer et al, 2020;Klein, 2010), more knowledge convergence on research content is likely needed. More knowledge divergence early in the team's life cycle may be helpful to maximize the number of viewpoints and ensure a comprehensive treatment of issues (e.g., Walsh et al, 1988;Wang et al, 2019). In contrast, more knowledge convergence may be beneficial as teams move toward implementation (e.g., Kilduff et al, 2000).…”

Enhancing the impacts of absorptive capacity on interorganizational collaboration in BIM-enabled construction projects – an SLT perspective

“…2.5 Task cognitive integration in BIM-enabled construction projects TCI is defined as the ability of team members to incorporate the perspectives, ideas and strategies of other team members into their own tasks (Cronin et al, 2011;Wang et al, 2019). TCI emphasizes understanding rather than agreeing with others' tasks and knowledge (Cronin et al, 2011).…”

“…3.2 Mediating model of TCI in AC-IOC relationship Successful IOC depends on the establishment of a common understanding among different workers regarding collaborative tasks (Zhu et al, 2010). TCI in BIM-enabled construction projects is the BIM-integrated cognition used to describe workers' abilities to meet common understanding on interdisciplinary tasks (Cronin et al, 2011;Wang et al, 2019). SLT could help to explain the connection between TCI and IOC.…”

“…TCI is defined as the ability of team members to incorporate the perspectives, ideas and strategies of other team members into their own tasks (Cronin et al. , 2011; Wang et al. , 2019).…”