The Emergence of Group Potency and Its Implications for Team Effectiveness

Abstract

Much of the previous research on the emergence of team-level constructs has overlooked their inherently dynamic nature by relying on static, cross-sectional approaches. Although theoretical arguments regarding emergent states have underscored the importance of considering time, minimal work has examined the dynamics of emergent states. In the present research, we address this limitation by investigating the dynamic nature of group potency, a crucial emergent state, over time. Theory around the “better-than-average” effect (i.e., an individual’s tendency to think he/she is better than the average person) suggests that individuals may have elevated expectations of their group’s early potency, but may decrease over time as team members interact gain a more realistic perspective of their group’s potential. In addition, as members gain experience with each other, they will develop a shared understanding of their team’s attributes. The current study used latent growth and consensus emergence modeling to examine how potency changes over time, and its relation with team effectiveness. Further, in accordance with the input-process-output framework, we investigated how group potency mediated the relations between team-level compositions of conscientiousness and extraversion and team effectiveness. We collected data at three time points throughout an engineering design course from 337 first-year engineering students that comprised 77 project teams. Results indicated that group potency decreased over time in a linear trend, and that group consensus increased over time. We also found that teams’ initial potency was a significant predictor of team effectiveness, but that change in potency was not related to team effectiveness. Finally, we found that the indirect effect linking conscientiousness to effectiveness, through initial potency, was supported. Overall, the current study offers a unique understanding of the emergence of group potency, and facilitate a number theoretical and practical implications, which are discussed.

Collective efficacy in virtual teams: Emergence, trajectory, and effectiveness implications.

“…Apart from consensus, a separate component of emergence reflects change in the level of collective efficacy. Our finding of a decreasing trajectory over time parallels the results of Woodley et al (2019) who found that group potency decreased as teams near project completion. Woodley et al (2019) attributed decreasing group potency to a honeymoon effect and an overconfidence bias.…”

“…Although relatively small in nature, the effect of increasing dissensus is counterintuitive to common conceptualizations of emergence (Carter et al, 2018), 2 and differs from the past empirical estimates [i.e., Woodley et al (2019) found that consensus on group potency increased over time]. As such, we provide unique evidence that offers a counterpoint to the literature to suggest that not all emergence patterns for all team-relevant emergent state constructs are similar.…”

“…As illustrated above, individuals' expertise may not live up to the team's expectations and over time members will increasingly recognize that their initial perceptions of their team's efficacy may be unrealistic, lending to a decrease in efficacy levels over time. In support of this, Woodley et al (2019) found that group potency, a similar though distinct confidence-based construct (see Stajkovic et al, 2009), decreased over time. Thus, as members work to complete the team's tasks, team members will be confronted with the realities of impending deadlines, individual and team failures, and challenges inherent with operating virtually, diminishing confidence in what the team can accomplish.…”

“…In other words, teams with more positive (or less negative) rates of change will tend to perform better. COR provides foundational theoretical support for this positive relation because it proposes that better team outcomes will occur when resources are preserved to the strongest degree possible (Woodley et al, 2019). Demerouti et al (2004) also demonstrated that resource losses lead to increased strain, which "spiral" to further and more substantial resource loss (see also De Cuyper et al, 2012).…”

The Evolution and Maturation of Teams in Organizations: Convergent Trends in the New Dynamic Science of Teams

“…In our special issue, the dynamic nature of affect is explored using similar methodological approaches, yet with two very different sets of constructs in order to expand our understanding of how teams may grow and change in their affective states over time. Woodley et al ( 2019 ) utilize latent growth and consensus emergence modeling techniques to investigate changes in team potency over time. Marques-Quinteiro et al ( 2019 ) also apply latent growth modeling, but to cohesion and its relationship to coordination and performance.…”