Unlocking team performance: How shared mental models drive proactive problem-solving
Survey
Authors:
Michela Carraro, Postdoctoral researcher at TUM München
Andrea Furlan, Full professor
Torbjorn Netland, Assistant professor at ETH Zürich
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Project description
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Do shared mental models support proactive problem-solving? Research on shared cognition suggests that shared mental models aid team performance by improving coordination between team members’ actions. However, these models can also lead to groupthink, potentially diminishing team members’ proactive problem-solving behaviors. Based on social identity theory, this study examines how shared mental models influence proactive problem-solving at the individual and team levels. We propose that shared mental models about work tasks and team dynamics are crucial for promoting proactive problem-solving behaviors and coordinating team efforts. To test our theory, we conducted multilevel path analyses with survey data from 266 individuals across 48 teams in 13 Italian manufacturing companies. Our results indicate that the degree to which individuals align their task- and team-related mental models impacts both their tendency to proactively solve problems and their ability to coordinate team problem-solving. We also find that the adoption of proactive problem-solving behaviors and team effort coordination are linked to enhanced team performance.
Authors:
Andrea Furlan, Full professor
Ambra Galeazzo, Assistant professor
Adriano Paggiaro, Associate professor
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For more information, please contact:
Project description
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Using a multilevel theoretical framework, we investigate the effects of organizational and perceived learning on employees’ systematic problem solving (SPS) that aims to prevent the recurrence of a problem. At the organizational level, we focus on the deliberate learning mechanisms of knowledge articulation (OKA) and knowledge codification (OKC). At the individual level, we focus on the relative perception of the mechanisms of knowledge articulation (PKA) and knowledge codification (PKC). Drawing on both knowledge management and sensemaking literature, we move from learning only captured through organizational mechanisms, which suppose individuals are passively embedded in the organizational context, to learning captured through perceived mechanisms, which suppose individuals take an active part in the learning processes and interpret them differently. We employ multilevel structural equation modeling to test our theoretical framework using survey data from a sample of 383 shop floor employees in 52 plants. To enhance our results, we perform a set of robustness checks that control different specifications of our model and potential endogeneity issues. Our study indicates that OKC affects SPS, while OKA affects OKC. Moreover, results show that both PKA and PKC have strong positive effects on SPS. Our study draws attention to the multilevel role of organizational learning and expands the understanding of the role of problem solving in routine evolution.