Antecedents of Work Team Performance in a Business Simulation: Personality and Group Interaction

Abstract

"This research study focused on the group dynamics that occur within student teams in a business simulation environment. Using Hackman's Input-Process-Output (IPO) model, this study investigated the theoretical relationship between individual personality factors and group performance as they are mediated by various group process variables. A total of sixty-one groups comprised of graduate and undergraduate students participated in the study. All participants, involved in a total enterprise simulation completed the Big Five measures of personality and the group process variables of homogeneity, goal clarity, cohesion, open group process, and internal fragmentation. In addition, the outcome performance measures of a group's profit, market share, return on sales, return on assets, return on equity, asset turnover, and stock price was also measured. Results revealed partial mediation between the personality variable extraversion and the performance measure asset turnover as influenced by the open group process variable. Additionally, a negative relationship was found between emotional stability and internal fragmentation. Although openness to experience was positively related to group homogeneity and internal fragmentation it was negatively related to goal clarity and open group process. "