Teamwork's Impact on Competitive Simulation Performance

949 Words2 Pages

Team performance is a function of many factors, among which teamwork is generally considered an important determinant of team effectiveness and member satisfaction. While it is commonly accepted that effective teamwork results in better team performance (LePine et al., 2008), the positive influence of teamwork on team performance has not always been borne out in empirical studies (e.g., see Gladstein, 1984; Guchait, Lei, & Tews, 2016; Miller, 2001). The current research extends team research to a highly-competitive simulation game using an ERP system by seeking to determine if students exhibit good teamwork during a game and whether teamwork in turn affects team results. The evidence suggests that the answer is affirmative to both research …show more content…

Researchers have shown that teamwork is a multifaceted construct with highly correlated individual dimensions (LePine et al., 2008; Ohland et al., 2012). Furthermore, some dimensions can have a greater effect on team performance than others (Mathieu, Maynard, Rapp, & Gilson, 2008). The current research shows that having relevant knowledge, skills and abilities has the most significant effect on team performance. This is not surprising as ERPsim games are sophisticated and winning requires members with expertise in different functional areas to work closely together under time pressure. In this circumstance a team’s performance depends primarily on whether the team possesses the required knowledge, skills and abilities to make the correct business decisions that impact the bottom line. Having the required taskwork knowledge has been shown to have a positive impact on team effectiveness (Guchait, Lei, & Tews, 2016), especially when the task complexity or task interdependence is high (LePine et al., 2008). Because business processes are highly integrated, mastery of taskwork knowledge needed to complete highly complex and interdependent tasks is crucial to winning an ERPsim

Open Document