The effects of job complexity and autonomy on cohesiveness in collectivistic and individualistic work groups: a cross‐cultural analysis

Abstract

SummaryIncreased job complexity and autonomy have often been associated with improved performance in work groups. This study examines the mediating effect of group cohesiveness. The moderating effects of individualism/collectivism on the relationship between job characteristics (both complexity and autonomy) and cohesiveness are also tested. The sample consists of 381 teams drawn from the Hong Kong and U.S. branches of an international bank. The findings indicate that an increase in job complexity and/or task autonomy will increase group cohesiveness, which subsequently translates to better performance. The positive effects of job complexity and autonomy on group cohesiveness are also found to be more prominent for individualistic rather than collectivistic work groups. The theoretical implications of the results and the limitations of the study are also discussed.

Generation Z’s Sustainable Volunteering: Motivations, Attitudes and Job Performance

“…Team cohesiveness is well-known as an important element of team dynamics. Defined as "the degree to which members of a group or team are attracted to a group or team and motivated to remain part of it" [48] (p. 359), team cohesiveness has been a focus of organizational academic research to develop efficient human resource strategies that improve value involving employees' membership, cooperative attitudes and teamwork performance [49].…”

“…Employees who perceive high levels of their team cohesiveness tend to have greater appreciation for their memberships and strive further to create and maintain positive relationships with group members [49]. The existing literature provides empirical evidence supporting the fact that team cohesiveness plays a critical role in decreasing destructive conflicts that occur between team members [50] and improving task performance [51], ultimately leading to business success [52].…”

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“…More recently, scholars have begun to treat individualism and collectivism as two independent dimensions (Man and Lam, 2003;Oyserman et al, 2002). So for example, people may score high on both the individualism and collectivism dimensions.…”

“…Chen et al (1997) note that the ethics of horizontal collectivism is focused on interpersonal behaviors, while the ethics of vertical collectivism is focused on the behavior of the individual with respect to the organization. Man and Lam (2003) explain that vertical collectivists feel responsible for the group and are willing to sacrifice themselves for its good. We would expect vertical collectivists to be more likely to perceive as unethical those practices in which the organization is the victim because they are more concerned with loyalty to institutions than either horizontal collectivists or individualists.…”

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