The Relationship between a Group's Personality Resources and the Two Dimensions of Its Group Process

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Abstract
Each group member contributes the resources of his or herpersonality to the functioning of his or her group. It was hypothesized that the total and the variation in these resources then influence the character of that group 's internalfunctioning. This longitudinal study explored the relationship between the total level and variability in eight personality dispositions measured at the group ' formation (T1) on two broad measures of group process, performance focus and shared exchange, measured at the middle (T2) and end (T3) of the group s work. At both stages, total levels of self-rated assertiveness predictedperformance focus; at both stages, total levels of self-rated applicationpredicted shared exchange. At T3, however, shared exchange was also predicted by low variability in group members' openness, emotional stability, and assertiveness. Both total levels and variability of key personality variables explained sizableportions ofthe variance in the two measures ofgroupfunctioning, thereby underscoring the key role of members 'personalities in channeling a group s internal process.