Relational efficacy beliefs, decision making, and objective performance: Modelling person-factors of variance during group composition changes (Ref.Understanding Multilevel and Organizational Dynamics

Army teams that can adjust to new members more quickly and adapt more effectively under changing circumstances will reduce fatalities and injuries of its members, execute combat missions more efficiently, and ultimately be more lethal teams in the field. Effective coordination in Army teams is challenged, however, by reassignment, turnover, and new team members because individuals may decide to adjust performance behaviors to overcome unfamiliarity associated with a changing operational environment. Unfortunately, adjustments can be unpredictable and risky for team effectiveness. The aim of this proposal is to maximize team performance by modelling person-factors in efficacy beliefs, decision making, and performance that account for the performance adjustments in teams. Participants will perform a team rope-pulling task in three quasi-experimental projects focused on within-member changes in 4-person units comprised of Army ROTC cadets (Project 1), joint-force Army-Air Force ROTC cadets (Project 2), and interagency units involving Army ROTC cadets and undergraduate students (Project 3). The findings of this proposal would offer a modernized prediction of how individual, teammate, and group factors impact patterns in individuals' relational efficacy beliefs, decision making, and performance during adjustment periods with newer team members.

Scholars @ ECU