Major and Classification
Psychology
Faculty Mentor
- Ann Renken, Ph.D.
Department
- Psychology
McNair Project
Group Performance: Involvement in Decision-Making Mediated by Autonomy, Competency, and Relatedness
This study examined group members’ involvement in participative decision-making (PDM) and its effect on group performance and satisfaction, as well as, possible mediating variables of perceived intrinsic need satisfaction (autonomy, competency, and relatedness). Ninety-seven students enrolled in a marketing course at the University of Southern California participated in this study by responding to a questionnaire regarding their involvement in a group project. Black and Gregersen’s measure of “Decision-Making Process and Degree of Involvement,” was used to examine the degree of participants’ involvement in a) identifying problems, b) generating alternatives, c) selecting solutions, d) planning implementation, and e) evaluating results. An adaptation of Ryan and Deci measurement of “Intrinsic Motivation Inventory” was also administered to participants to examine perceived intrinsic need satisfaction. Results suggest that the cumulative affect of a high degree of involvement in the five processes of PDM are positively related to satisfaction and performance. These relationships are also mediated by autonomy, competency, and relatedness.