Personnel turnover and team performance
By: John M. Levine ... [et. al.].
Contributors: Levine, John M.; U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences.
Series: Technical report -- 1157.; Technical report (U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences) -- 1157.
Publisher: U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences
Published: 2005
Place of publication: [Arlington, Va.]
Language: eng
Number of pages: 48
Subjects: United States. -- Army -- Personnel management.; Cognition.; Teams in the workplace.
Description: "This project was designed to provide information about personnel turnover in work teams. Two tasks (production, decision making) and two methodologies (laboratory experimentation, computer simulation) were employed. Experimental studies using the production task investigated how newcomers affect a team's transactive memory system--a shared mental model about how task competencies are distributed across members. Experimental studies using the decision-making task investigated conditions under which newcomers can produce innovation by altering the teams's task strategy. Simulation studies extended the laboratory work in various ways (e.g., by investigating turnover effects in larger social units and over longer time periods). Results indicated that providing team members with information about a newcomer's skills prior to turnover eliminated the negative impact of turnover on both transactive memory and team performance. Newcomers who sought to change the team's task strategy were more effective when the team was assigned (rather than chose) its initial strategy and failed (rather than succeeded) prior to newcomers' arrival. Simulation studies showed, among other things, that the value of transactive memory varies as a function of group size and task difficulty. This project demonstrates the utility of multi-method research on personnel turnover and suggests a number of questions for future research. -Stinet.
Notes: Cover title.

" March 2005."

"Army project number 61102B7F4."--P. iii.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 37-48).

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

Final report; 1 Sep 2000-30 Nov 2003.

Contract or grant no. : DASW01-00-K0018."--Report documentation page.