ABSTRACT
The following theoretical model for analyzing the effectiveness of teams working on complex problems is based on a more general theoretical frame of reference for an interdisciplinary analysis of social interaction (Scholl, 1991). It is intended to encompass social systems of any size, from two-person interaction to small groups to organizations and even societies. This may sound overly ambitious but there are some striking parallels at the different system levels that are worthwhile to systematize theoretically and—maybe—to refute them empirically. Figure 5.1 gives an overview of the basic features of this model. For example, the most important variable for the application of the model to reality is the size and differentiation of the social system (in the lower right corner of Fig. 5.1). By following the arrows it can be seen that an increasing size of the system should lessen the congruence between its members, which has a lot of consequences in other variables. It is not necessary to further explicate these consequences of the size effect, because the model is applied here only to group behavior and teamwork. Moreover, in this chapter only the theoretical kernel of the model (including congruence, power exertion, action capability, growth of knowledge and effectiveness; see the shaded area in Fig. 5.1) is explained and tested with empirical data from a field study on innovations. The logic of presentation follows the guideline giving theoretical development the primary weight. Effectiveness of social systems: basic model. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781315799452/07a3e9af-24e0-4fbf-9ed8-c13ed8b75dc1/content/fig5_1_B.tif" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
