The impact of interpersonal mindfulness on processes of group decision-making
| Working group | Social Processes Lab |
| Duration | 07/2013–03/2017 |
| Funding | IWM budget resources |
Project description
As a rule, far-reaching decisions or complex problems require an interdisciplinary collaboration of experts. Teams are built when demands exceed the capability of individuals to perform well. But how can it be ensured that teams unbiasedly share information and integrate each other's knowledge?
Teams in organizations and groups in the lab frequently fail to live up to their full potential. Information is often shared only inadequately. The exchange of information is either egocentrically biased (i.e., one's own information is evaluated as more relevant than information from others), or decisions are made by following the majority (i.e., opinions are voted upon instead of sharing information being shared). Better decisions are made by groups whose members know each other well or where the relations among each other are clarified (e.g., different statuses). However, in practice building a relationship, which can be time-consuming, is often not possible because knowledge needs to be exchanged directly or because media-based communication hinders establishing a close relationship across different locations.
This research project investigates which interpersonal preconditions ameliorate the decision-making processes in groups. Specifically, the influence of interpersonal mindfulness on group decision-making is examined. Interpersonal mindfulness is understood as drawing the attention to an interpersonal experience. If persons encounter one another with greater interpersonal awareness, they should be more aware of the other's perspective and thus be able to make better decisions. The objective of the project is to understand the processes that are involved and derive concrete suggestions of how to optimally benefit from cooperation media for group decision-making.
Publication
Grapendorf, J., Sassenberg, K., & Landkammer, F. (2017). Mindfulness is detrimental to performance in computer-mediated interdependent tasks. Computers in Human Behavior, 74, 1-6. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.04.023
