125 active managers participated in a computerized business management game. Group task orientation was a significant predictor of team success. Machiavellianism was independent of team's success and task orientation. This study confirms earlier findings that task orientation is a predictor of team effectiveness, but rebuts previous research showing Machiavellianism is a predictor of team success. This study improved earlier research by involving better measures of influence and task orientation as well as practicing managers as subjects.
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