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Means vs. Ends: Implications of Process and Outcome Focus for Team Adaptation and Performance

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  • Anita Williams Woolley

    (Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213)

Abstract

Knowledge work frequently involves both the redefinition of desired outcomes and the specification of task processes. The relative emphasis that teams place on these issues early in work can lead members to become “outcome focused” or “process focused,” with consequences for performance. This paper develops and explores a theory of how outcome focus and process focus develop in teams and the implications of each for team adaptation and performance. Outcome and process focus were both observed and experimentally manipulated in 90 teams working on an open-ended task. Measures of the teams' performance as well as level of action identification and ability to adapt work processes point to an advantage for outcome-focused teams in dynamic environments. Implications for the design and management of knowledge work teams are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Anita Williams Woolley, 2009. "Means vs. Ends: Implications of Process and Outcome Focus for Team Adaptation and Performance," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 20(3), pages 500-515, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ororsc:v:20:y:2009:i:3:p:500-515
    DOI: 10.1287/orsc.1080.0382
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Jonathan Dortheimer, 2022. "Collective Intelligence in Design Crowdsourcing," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-24, February.
    2. Christian, Jessica Siegel & Christian, Michael S. & Pearsall, Matthew J. & Long, Erin C., 2017. "Team adaptation in context: An integrated conceptual model and meta-analytic review," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 62-89.
    3. Abrantes, António Cunha Meneses & Passos, Ana Margarida & Cunha, Miguel Pina e & Santos, Catarina Marques, 2018. "Bringing team improvisation to team adaptation: The combined role of shared temporal cognitions and team learning behaviors fostering team performance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 59-71.
    4. Woolley, Anita Williams & Bear, Julia B. & Chang, Jin Wook & DeCostanza, Arwen Hunter, 2013. "The effects of team strategic orientation on team process and information search," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 122(2), pages 114-126.
    5. Glikson, Ella & Erez, Miriam, 2020. "The emergence of a communication climate in global virtual teams," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(6).
    6. Andrew P. Knight, 2015. "Mood at the Midpoint: Affect and Change in Exploratory Search Over Time in Teams That Face a Deadline," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 26(1), pages 99-118, February.
    7. Aggarwal, Ishani & Woolley, Anita Williams, 2013. "Do you see what I see? The effect of members’ cognitive styles on team processes and errors in task execution," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 122(1), pages 92-99.
    8. Runsten, Philip, 2017. "TEAM INTELLIGENCE: THE FOUNDATIONS OF INTELLIGENT ORGANIZATIONS - A Literature Review," SSE Working Paper Series in Business Administration 2017:2, Stockholm School of Economics.
    9. repec:esm:wpaper:esmt-13-02 is not listed on IDEAS

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