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.
Table of Contents 1. Introduction: Mapping the Territory. 2. Tasks: What Groups Do. 3. Idea Generation: Creative Thinking in Groups. 4. Problem Solving: Performing Tasks with Correct Solutions. 5. Judgment Calls: Performing Tasks with Hard-to-Demonstrate Correct Answers. 6. Decision Making: Selecting from Among Discrete Choice Alternatives. 7. Learning and Memory: Acquiring, Retaining, and Retrieving Knowledge in Groups. 8. Motivation: Energizing and Directing Behavior in Groups. 9. Group Composition: The Problem of Diversity within Groups. 10. Conclusion: Prospects for the Future in the Search for Synergy.
A link to the publishers
web page is here.