TY - JOUR

T1 - Team reflexivity as an antidote to team information-processing failures

AU - Schippers, Michaéla C.

AU - Edmondson, Amy C.

AU - West, Michael

PY - 2014/12

Y1 - 2014/12

N2 - This article proposes that team reflexivity—a deliberate process of discussing team goals, processes, or outcomes—can function as an antidote to team-level biases and errors in decision making. We build on prior work conceptualizing teams as information-processing systems and highlight reflexivity as a critical information-processing activity. Prior research has identified consequential information-processing failures that occur in small groups, such as the failure to discuss privately held relevant information, biased processing of information, and failure to update conclusions when situations change. We propose that team reflexivity reduces the occurrence of information-processing failures by ensuring that teams discuss and assess the implications of team information forteam goals, processes, and outcomes. In this article, we present a model of team information-processing failures and remedies involving team reflexivity, and we discuss the conditions under which team reflexivity is and is not likely to facilitate performance.

AB - This article proposes that team reflexivity—a deliberate process of discussing team goals, processes, or outcomes—can function as an antidote to team-level biases and errors in decision making. We build on prior work conceptualizing teams as information-processing systems and highlight reflexivity as a critical information-processing activity. Prior research has identified consequential information-processing failures that occur in small groups, such as the failure to discuss privately held relevant information, biased processing of information, and failure to update conclusions when situations change. We propose that team reflexivity reduces the occurrence of information-processing failures by ensuring that teams discuss and assess the implications of team information forteam goals, processes, and outcomes. In this article, we present a model of team information-processing failures and remedies involving team reflexivity, and we discuss the conditions under which team reflexivity is and is not likely to facilitate performance.

KW - team reflexivity

KW - team information-processing failures

KW - team regulatory processes

KW - team learning

U2 - 10.1177/1046496414553473

DO - 10.1177/1046496414553473

M3 - Journal article

VL - 45

SP - 731

EP - 769

JO - Small Group Research

JF - Small Group Research

SN - 1046-4964

IS - 6

ER -