Date of Award
2004
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Psychology
Abstract
Change is ubiquitous and needs to be managed. Change can be managed though problem-solving. Teams are the vehicle that many organizations use to accomplish problem-solving. Adaption-Innovation theory stipulates that people differ in how they approach problem-solving, which is called style. This study attempted to assess whether understanding problem-solving style affected the performance of teams. The method used in this study was an experiment utilizing the Kirton Adaption-Innovation Inventory (KAI) to measure problem-solving style and a puzzle to measure performance of teams. The independent variable was a lesson on understanding KAI. A total of 312 participants in 44 teams were included in this research. Teams were formed according to KAI scores. The categories of teams included homogeneous teams with complementary roles, homogeneous teams with reverse roles, heterogeneous teams with complementary roles, heterogeneous teams with reverse roles and random teams. The results implied that there was no significant difference in team performance by understanding KAI. Although there was no significant difference found, it appears that the highest success rate was among homogeneous teams with complementary roles within the problem. In conclusion, the formulation of teams according to problem-solving style may impact performance, but the need to understand KAI could not be established with this study. It is recommended that further research be done on a larger scale.
Recommended Citation
Scott, Sophia K., "Measuring The Performance Of Teams Formulated According To Problem Solving Style Among Undergraduate Students" (2004). All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1021.
https://scholars.indianastate.edu/etds/1021