BUS603: Managing People

Although this research presents several unique and valuable contributions to the literature, there are a number of crucial questions future research should investigate. First and foremost is cross-validation of these findings with a larger number of more heterogeneous teams engaged in alternative projects that take place over longer (or shorter) time periods and life cycles. Such research endeavors may highlight alternative forms of group potency change over time (i.e., non-linear, discontinuous). However, we would still likely anticipate consensus to emerge and solidify over time, though it may taper off during longer life cycles. Though we have substantiated a linear, downward trend in group potency over time, it may also be interesting to examine whether distinct types of teams occupy differential trajectories of group potency dynamics. Specifically, leveraging growth mixture modeling, future researchers could examine nuanced trajectories of potency that may be illustrated by distinct types of teams.

Additionally, future research could be dedicated toward whether similar emergent states (e.g., collective efficacy) may exhibit differential patterns of change over time. For instance, collective efficacy, as previously mentioned, is an emergent state that represents a group's confidence in their ability to perform a specific task, rather than the general ability to perform that is measured by group potency. Thus, as teams engaged in a specific task (e.g., a product development initiative), they could experience increasing collective efficacy as they gain task-specific knowledge, and expertise through practice – similar to how training can increase self-efficacy – while also experiencing decreasing group potency as they recognize how challenging it can be to effectively function as a team, in general. Nonetheless, we believe the current research provides substantial value to the literature, and our methodological approach may assist future studies, which we eagerly await so as to equip the literature with a comprehensive understanding of form, function, predictors, and implications of group potency.