Eager to be the Best,or Vigilant Not to Be the Worst: The Emergence of Regulatory Focus in Disjunctive and Conjunctive Group Tasks

Abstract

In two experiments we examined the emergence of regulatory focus in group members resulting from the characteristics of a group task (disjunctive vs. conjunctive). Our central hypothesis was that disjunctive group tasks lead group members to adopt a promotion focus, and conjunctive group tasks lead group members to adopt a prevention focus. In Experiment 1, we used virtual groups to manipulate the interdependence structure of a group task (disjunctive vs. conjunctive). We assessed participants’ self-reported regulatory focus, and examined their task behavior. Experiment 2 addressed face-to-face interacting groups and examined the regulatory focus-specific emotions participants experienced as a result of the interdependence structure of the task, as well as their task performance. Results were partly in line with predictions demonstrating the emergence of a promotion focus in disjunctive group tasks, but no parallel effects for conjunctive group tasks. We connect our findings to the literature on regulatory focus theory and group dynamics and discuss the practical implications for team functioning and performance.