METHODS OF ANALYZING GROUP TASKS
Abstract
In this report, it is argued that description and classification of group tasks can best be approached from a theoretical rather than empirical or factor analytic perspective. It is pointed out that previous attempts at task classification generally focus on one of three aspects of the task and group situation. The literature of group task analysis dealing with each of these aspects is then reviewed, and it is pointed out that each kind of task classification can be comprehended as an attempt to discriminate different relations existing between various elements of the task and group structure. The contribution of these attempts to a theoretically useful taxonomy of tasks is evaluated. Structural role theory is introduced as a theoretical framework which leads to a system for classifying tasks. Digraph theory and matrix algebra are then applied to the problem of task definition, and indices for the measurement of some important group task dimensions (inter-position collaboration, inter-position co-ordination, inter-task co-ordination, and goal path multiplicity) are derived. The report concludes with a brief discussion of the problems and advantages of application of the structural role theory method of task analysis.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1967
- Accession Number
- AD0647762
Entities
People
- Gordon O'brien
Organizations
- University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign