Individual Characteristics and Unit Performance: A Review of Research and Methods

Abstract

This study is an initial effort to understand how characteristics of individuals influence the effectiveness and efficiency with which the military units to which they belong perform their missions. It was undertaken as a systematic review of existing knowledge about the relationship between individual characteristics and group performance. It identified five general categories of predictors of group performance: (1) individual characteristics (general ability, task proficiency, and personality characteristics); (2) leadership; (3) group structural composition, or the mix of individual characteristics; (4) group processes (cohesiveness, attraction); and (5) training techniques (feedback vs. individual performance). Among its conclusions, the study finds that the relationship between ability and performance depends on the nature of the task, and that feedback, both on level of the individual members' performance and on the level of unit performance, is very important. Keywords include: Group Dynamics, Manpower, Military Personnel, Performance (Human), Leadership, Skills.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 01, 1985
Accession Number
ADA153145

Entities

People

  • James P. Kahan
  • Noreen Webb
  • Richard J. Shavelson
  • Ross M. Stolzenberg

Organizations

  • RAND Corporation

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Applied Psychology
  • Business Administration
  • Doctrine
  • Enlisted Personnel
  • Information Processing
  • Management Personnel
  • Military Organizations
  • Motor Skills
  • Organizational Structure
  • Personnel Management
  • Psychological Tests
  • Psychology
  • Social Psychology
  • Students
  • Trainees
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • Education

Readers

  • Instructional Design and Training Evaluation.
  • Organizational Psychology.