Communications of the ACM
What Traits Are Favored In Corporate Team Members?
Teams receiving their choice of central member performed better than teams that did not have a choice or whose central member was assigned randomly.
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A study reveals the importance of communication and expertise when teams select individuals for their organizational teams. Researchers examined how individuals become part of communication networks and the effect of selection processes on group performance. The study found that people who communicated more during training were more likely to be chosen as a central member of the network. In addition, teams that chose their central member performed as well as and often better than teams whose central member was randomly assigned.
The study, by Linda Argote at Carnegie Mellon University, Jerry Guo at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, Jonathan Kush at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, and Jisoo Park at Clark University, is published in Frontiers in Psychology.
"The people in network positions and the processes by which they arrive at those positions play a significant role in determining team performance," says Argote. "For centralized network positions which require occupants to transfer information to other members of the network, it is critical to have good communication skills."
From Carnegie Mellon University
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