AN EXAMINATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WORK GROUP CHARACTERISTICS AND PERFORMANCE: ONCE MORE INTO THE BREECH

This paper describes an investigation of the relationship between a measure of work group characteristics and both subjective and objective measures of group performance. To assess the relationship between the work group characteristics and performance, objective performance data and manager ratings were collected for customer service work groups who completed the measure. Correlational analyses provided evidence of a relationship between specific work group characteristics and various performance measures. In addition, a factor analysis of the measure provided a more parsimonious set of dimensions that were also related to the criterion measures. The results are discussed in terms of the factors related to work group effectiveness and their relevance to work groups in various types of organizations.