Event Title

Attributions of Team Performance in a Dispersed Environment

Presenter Information

Jennifer Mans, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Daniel Regnier, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Location

CSU Ballroom

Start Date

27-4-2009 1:00 PM

End Date

27-4-2009 3:00 PM

Student's Major

Psychology

Student's College

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Mentor's Name

Andrea Lassiter

Mentor's Department

Psychology

Mentor's College

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Description

Previous research suggests people tend to make attributions about someone without detailed information about that person. In team performance, individual team members make attributions about the team even when they do not have extensive experience working together. This is often the situation with virtual teams whose members work together in geographically dispersed environments. Little previous empirical research has been conducted regarding attribution, trust, and how these factors affect virtual teams; however, existing theory suggests attributions do influence trust. This study examined the extent to which attributions were related to trust and performance in virtual teams. Data were collected from teams of 40 undergraduate college students who worked together on a problem-solving task. Participants read a simple biography about their team member, which included manipulated information about team member grade point average (GPA). Analyses examined whether such information affected participant trust in the team, performance on the task, and attributions of team performance. Results indicated that attributions of intelligence, manipulated by GPA, did not influence trust or team performance.