Abstract

What a group actually accomplishes depends on the nature of its task, the relevant resources of the members, the motivations of members, and the coordination patterns developed as the group proceeds with its work. Research workers have often failed to distinguish between what groups actually accomplish and what they have the ability to accomplish. The following study reflects an attempt to organize some of the literature on group productivity into a coherent pattern, and to treat the ability of groups as a problem separate from actual productivity.