6.1 Goal Accomplishment Flashcards
Effective use of detailed and specific feedback indicating how well a team is doing on particular aspects tasks or targets enables teams to
Move from the first phase of collective cognition accumulation (in which information is perceived, filtered and stored) to the next phase interaction (in which information is exchanged and structured)
Effective use of specific feedback also enables social comparison processes, in which the behavior of the focal team is compared with that of some other team. These processes enable teams to
Move from the examination phase of collective cognition (in which information is negotiated, interpreted, and evaluated) to subsequent phases (in which information is incorporated to behavior
When leaders and teams have similar perceptions of the general degree to which they have accomplished their objectives, they can make better use of
More fine grained information obtained through feedback and social comparison and move more effectively through the cycles of collective cognition to enhance performance
Disagreements may occur when
A leader and a team have different access to information, divergent interpretations of the same information, or differing comparison referents for the team
Perceived accomplishments serve as motivators and reinforcements that help direct and maintain behavior toward continued performance efforts
Team performance should be highest when goal accomplishment is considered by both parties to be high, rather than low
When the leader and team disagree about what the team has accomplished
This results in confusion about whether gathering additional performance information is necessary, and the team may have difficulty understanding how it compares with other teams, making it difficult to determine how to proceed or what priorities to establish
When the team perceives greater goal accomplishment than does the leader, we expect the effects to be most detrimental.
The team will likely consider its knowledge accumulation sufficient and discontinue additional search and storage, while the leaders may see the need for more knowledge accumulation about task requirements, errors or parameters.
The leader is likely to provide feedback to the team that they have fallen short of their goals. Such feedback, however, may not be received well. Receiving constructive criticism when we believe we are performing well can be ego threatening, particularly in a social and evaluating setting.
Poorer than expected feedback can lead to negative emotions, which are followed by a reduction in the motivation to change, denial of the usefulness of feedback, and questioning of its accuracy
Negative feedback from leaders therefore, even if accurate, can produce dissatisfaction and frustration in this situation. As a result, the team may react to their leader’s negative feedback by failing to incorporate it into behavioral repertoires.
If the leader perceives greater goal accomplishment, he or she may no longer assist the team in knowledge accumulation efforts.
However, this inaction is likely to be temporary and transient, lasting only until the team falters.
By contrast, when the team perceives greater goal accomplishment than does the leader, the negative reactions of the leader are likely to elicit negative emotions such as dissatisfaction and frustration, which could be enduring
When the leader perceives greater goal accomplishment than does the team, this lack of congruence may still create problems for the team
But the resulting dynamics may be less detrimental for team performance than if the team’s perception is higher
Goal accomplishment
This perception is important in determining how well a team will make use of feedback-related catalysts for collective cognition
Goals play a particularly central role in most theories of team effectiveness
Research has examined how leaders can best set goals for teams, as well as issues surrounding goal congruence and goal acceptance
Goal Congruence
Pertains to similarity in the understanding of goals
Goal Acceptance
Pertains to whether assignees have adopted and internalized goals
