Means vs. Ends: Implications of Process and Outcome Focus for Team Adaptation and Performance

Knowledge work frequently involves both the redefinition of desired outcomes and the specification of task processes. The relative emphasis that teams place on these issues early in work can lead members to become “outcome focused” or “process focused,” with consequences for performance. This paper develops and explores a theory of how outcome focus and process focus develop in teams and the implications of each for team adaptation and performance. Outcome and process focus were both observed and experimentally manipulated in 90 teams working on an open-ended task. Measures of the teams' performance as well as level of action identification and ability to adapt work processes point to an advantage for outcome-focused teams in dynamic environments. Implications for the design and management of knowledge work teams are discussed.