ABSTRACT
Now that we have considered some of the variables that influence group performance on decision-making tasks, we turn in this chapter to a discussion of maximizing tasks-those in which the performance of the group is measured in terms of the amount or quality of a product that is produced. Many applied researchers have found that group process is particularly important in
determining the production of working groups and is frequently even more important than member characteristics, the working conditions or technology available to the workers, or the incentives offered to them. In this chapter we consider some of the ways that group process influences the performance of individuals in groups, in some cases by facilitating or improving performance, but also (and more frequently) by hindering it.
