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Mines in the End Zone: Are there Downsides to Team Performance?

Part of: Current Debate in Psychology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2020

Troy V. Mumford  and
M. Travis Maynard
Troy V. Mumford*
Affiliation:
Colorado State University (USA)
M. Travis Maynard
Affiliation:
Colorado State University (USA)
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Troy V. Mumford. Colorado State University. Department of Management. 222 Rockwell Hall Fort Collins. 80523–1019 Colorado (USA). E-mail: [email protected] Phone: +1–9704917919.
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Abstract

Research on teams in organizations tends to focus on understanding the causes of team performance with a focus on how to enjoy the benefits of team success and avoid the negative consequences of team failure. This paper instead asks the question, ‘what are some of the negative consequences of team success?’ A review of the literature on teams is augmented with research from cognitive science, sociology, occupational psychology, and psychology to explore the potential negative long-term consequences of teamwork success. The general topics of groupthink, overconfidence bias, regression to the mean, role overload, and strategy calcification are reviewed while discussing the implications for future research streams and practical team management.

Keywords

groupthinkperformanceteams
Type
Review Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 23 , 2020 , e49
Copyright
© Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2020

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Footnotes

Conflicts of Interest Declarations: None.

Funding Statement: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

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