Abstract

McGrath (1964) defined group composition as (the properties represented by the aggregate of persons who are members of a given group at a given time) (p.72). Properties of group composition include a wide variety of variables including physical characteristics, mental and motor abilities, attitudes, motives, personality traits and such social identities as age, education, religion, occupation, race, sex and social status. These properties can be examined from three perspectives. First, they can be viewed as the quantity of group resources. Second, properties of group members can be examined in terms of their distribution or their degree of variation. Third, the complementary of these properties between and among members can be investigated. Like many other aspects of groups, the study of each of these three manifestations of group composition has been undertaken almost exclusively to determine their impact on group productivity/performance. No doubt, the composition of the group influences other variables, some of which, in turn, influence group productivity. In fact, Bass (1980) presented a model of group productivity that identified certain more immediate outcomes of group composition which he labelled as process variables. In this chapter, the influences of members social and psychological attributes as well as their abilities on group performance and in a few instances, on other outcomes are presented within each of three manifestations of group composition outlined above. Verf.-Referat