COMPOSITION, PROCESS, AND PERFORMANCE IN SELF-MANAGED GROUPS - THE ROLE OF PERSONALITY

Using the five factor model with an emphasis on extraversion and consc ientiousness, the authors investigated how personality is related to s mall group processes and outcomes. Graduate students (N = 289) assigne d to 4- and 5-person teams in 61 groups engaged in a series of creativ e problem-solving tasks over a period of several weeks. Extraversion w as associated with group processes and outcomes at both individual and group levels of analysis. At the individual level, extraverts were pe rceived by others as having greater effect than introverts on group ou tcomes. Covariance structure modeling suggested that extraverts induce these perceptions through the provision of both socioemotional and ta sk-related inputs. At the group level, the proportion of relatively ex traverted members was related curvilinearly to task focus and group pe rformance. Contrary to expectations, Conscientiousness was unrelated t o processes and outcomes at either the individual or group level.