THE RELATION BETWEEN GROUP COHESIVENESS AND PERFORMANCE - AN INTEGRATION

This article reports the results of a meta-analytic integration of the relation between group cohesiveness and performance. Overall, the coh esiveness-performance effect was highly significant and of small magni tude. The effect was stronger in correlational studies than in experim ental studies. The effect was also stronger in smaller groups than in larger groups and stronger among real groups than among artificial gro ups. The cohesiveness-performance effect is due primarily to commitmen t to task rather than interpersonal attraction or group pride. A meta- analytic cross-lagged panel correlation analysis suggested that the mo st direct effect might be from performance to cohesiveness rather than from cohesiveness to performance. Discussion considers the implicatio ns of these results for future research on group cohesiveness and perf ormance.