Can ingroup love harm the ingroup? Collective narcissism and objectification of ingroup members

We examined how collective narcissism (a belief in ingroup greatness that is underappreciated by others) versus ingroup identification predicts treatment of ingroup members. Ingroup identification should be associated with favorable treatment of ingroup members. Collective narcissism, however, is more likely to predict using ingroup members for personal gain. In organizations, collective narcissism predicted promoting one’s own (vs. group) goals (prestudy: N = 179), and treating coworkers instrumentally (Study 1: N = 181; and longitudinal Study 2: N = 557). In Study 3 ( N = 214, partisan context), the link between collective narcissism and instrumental treatment of ingroup members was mediated by self-serving motives. In the experimental Study 4 ( N = 579, workplace teams), the effect of collective narcissism on instrumental treatment was stronger when the target was an ingroup (vs. outgroup) member. Across all studies, ingroup identification was negatively, or nonsignificantly, associated with instrumental treatment. Results suggest that not all forms of ingroup identity might be beneficial for ingroup members.

Teams That Innovate: The Language of Difference-Driven Inquiry at the Workplace

Leveraging a team’s diverse perspectives can be a powerful way to foster team innovation. A common approach to leverage team differences involves tool-based approaches, including brainstorming, mind-mapping, and whiteboarding. However, the effective use of ideational tools as a means to innovation often assumes high levels of team cohesion and productivity—dynamics that may not be safe to assume, especially in teams with high levels of diversity. This study investigates how workplace teams at a Biotech company use discourse to innovate, and in doing so, instantiate a larger rhetorical practice known as difference-driven inquiry.

Collaboration and Conflict in Three Workplace Teams´ Projects

This chapter extends the previous research published in 2016 which looked into the embedding contexts of networks of small firms, in the EU principally, and how collaboration between small to medium enterprises (SMEs) was supported inside national and regional clustering structures and incubators initiated in collaboration with university researchers and governments agencies. The current chapter drills down further to explore the processes at the level of individual firms to see how group and individual conflict and collaboration was generated or sustained within teams in three different case organizations. In other words, the chapter looks at micro level details of conflict and collaboration as well as the observed socioemotional dynamics. The three organizations were involved with executive education programs and the authors were able to access reflective diaries for 2004 to 2012 enabling the authors to triangulate notes taken with interview data and observations used for this chapter.

Toward more practical measurement of teamwork skills

Purpose The purpose of this study was to take a fresh look at how well instruments commonly used to calibrate teamwork skills reflect the reality of today’s workplace. Given the number of teamwork skills instruments that have been available for many decades, the question was, why still are so many workplace teams not successful? Design/methodology/approach This practitioner exploration identified insights from a small group of experienced Indian managers on what makes a successful team. It compares these insights to the dimensions identified in one readily available practitioner-developed teamwork skills instrument and to those characteristics identified in the literature. Findings The match was less than perfect between the criteria these experienced managers used to predict team success and the combination of the dimensions in the literature and what the tool measured. Analysis indicated these managers felt that successful teams indeed required good communication among members (as identified in the literature), but they added the specificity that the element of communication characterized as effective listening was a key contributor to team success. Additionally, they did not just exhibit effective conflict resolution techniques (as identified in the literature), but also relied upon debate, discussion, flexibility, trust and cohesiveness. The findings also suggested the importance of understanding each other’s strengths and weaknesses and of giving credit, which were not included on the instrument used. Originality/value Given the growing importance of diverse international teams and the continued high failure rate of many teams, there is a need to take a fresh look at evaluating insights of successful team members using the additional lenses of culture, technology-enhanced communications and distributed work approaches. These insights should be compared to those skills that have been historically measured by instruments commonly used to calibrate teamwork skills and described in the literature. If the measuring tools are accurate, why do so many teams fail? If instruments are to be useful in guiding improvement of teamwork skills, they need to calibrate the specific skills that differentiate success from failure in today’s real world.

Analyzing Work Teams Using Social Network Diagrams

Workplace teams are a common social structure that enables the successful completion of collaborative projects. They have been studied as “hot” teams, virtual ones, and other manifestations. For both management and team members, it is helpful to have a form of meta-cognition on teams to solve work team issues pre-, during-, and post-project. One way to systematize understandings of a work team is to apply social network analysis to depict the work team’s power structure, its functions, and ways to improve the team’s communications for productivity, creativity, and effective functioning. This chapter depicts three real-world team-based projects as social network diagrams along with some light analysis. This work finds that social network diagrams may effectively shed light on the social dynamics of projects in the pre-, during-, and post-project phases.

Collaborating Virtually to Develop This Book

The focus of this chapter is to describe how the writers and editors of this book attempted to employ virtual collaborative writing strategies, including those described throughout this text, in the process of developing and writing this book. This discussion reflects on the processes the writers of this book used to write collaboratively in a virtual environment, as well as strategies and tools that facilitated or hindered their efforts. The discussion draws on the six principles underlying virtual collaborative writing to evaluate the experience of using technology to develop content collaboratively. In so doing, the writers present recommendations that workplace teams can use to manage virtual collaborative writing more effectively. This chapter provides practical examples of success and failure that can guide professionals committed to improving virtual collaborative writing in range of workplace environments. These experiences point to lessons for improving overall performance— whether teams are just forming, looking for ways to manage or plan collaborative writing projects, confused about making decisions virtually, or in search of standards and processes that enable virtual collaborative writing.

Predicting Satisfaction with Group Work Assignments

Universities are increasingly using group based assessment tasks; however, as with workplace teams, such tasks often elicit mixed feelings from participants. This study investigated factors that may predict student satisfaction with group work at university. Final-year business students completed a questionnaire addressing experiences of group work. Quantitative and qualitative data suggest that the major barrier to students’ group work satisfaction was workload issues. Conversely, perceptions of learning and feelings of group-based achievement contributed most to satisfaction. Knowledge of predictors of satisfaction allows teaching staff to identify potential problems in groups, and improve the quality of the group work experience.