Synergize Task
Background
The Synergize Task is an experimental research tool used to simulate team dynamics for a 'focal' participant who is left unaware that the group members are responsive, manipulated electronic confederates (EC). The Synergize paradigm was introduced by Amir Erez, Keith Leavitt and colleagues in 2015 who -using ECs- found that a participant's personality (introvert vs. extrovert) significantly biases how they perceive and reward colleagues. Erez and colleagues named their task 'Synergize' because the team-context simulation is designed to measure 'synergy', the sum of a team's performance that transcends each individual's contribution.
Using ECs in team dynamic contexts has the advantage of reducing experimental noise caused by human confederates (HC) who bring their own, potentially interfering, emotions and characteristics to an experiment. ECs on the other hand lack emotions, behave only in ways that are programmed, lack the ability to make judgments, are indefatigable and are cost-efficient. Leavitt and colleagues suggest in 2021 that ECs are particularly useful for team studies that:
- don't require jointly developed goals
- only require a relatively impoverished interaction context (e.g. text messages)
- involve unfamiliar team members
Leavitt and colleagues meticulously designed the Inquisit Synergize scripts to provide a modern-looking interface for a user-friendly experience that allows the manipulation of the ECs behavior through their comments to the team as well as their task responses. They provided two different versions of the paradigm to demonstrate how the Synergize platform can be altered and utilized for different research questions. The first Synergize example provides a framework that is intended for manipulating EC personality/attributes for studying social judgments in teams ('Personality Version'). The second example can be used to study behavior in the context of a cheating team member ('Unethical Behavior Version'). Both Synergize examples build on the same framework but use different EC manipulations to reach their goals.
The basic task in each Synergize version is to find as many uses for a paper clip (or brick) as the team can under time pressure. To this end, each team member can take turns in providing an answer. Occasionally team members can add 'text messages' to encourage their teammates. The Personality-Synergize Version, manipulating the EC's personality, asks each team member to provide a description of themselves for the team's personality profile before the actual task begins. The Unethical Behavior Version does not ask for personality descriptions but manipulates two team members responses in such a way that they 'discover' and exploit a 'loophole' within the game and begin to enter very fast but nonsensical answers, resulting in a greater (but ultimately unfair) financial gain.
Task Procedure
The Synergize task begins with a general introduction to the task and asks participants to select an icon avatar. In the Personality Version participants are also asked to provide a description of themselves. Then they are connected to their team members - to make the process more realistic a connection 'failure' is built into the program. Once successfully connected (and after reading the personality profiles in the Personality Version), the team task begins with the computer selecting 'randomly' the first person to start the game (it's always the same EC). Once a response is entered, the current team member selects the next via mouse click on the respective icon. Occasionally team mates 'send' text messages. After the participant ('player 2') has provided 8 answers the task is terminated and the team's final score is announced. The script ends with additional questions for the participant as well as an optional debriefing page.
What it Measures
Synergize is a template to manipulate electronic confederates' behavior/personality in simulations of team dynamics
Psychological domains
- Interpersonal Relations: It assesses how individuals form impressions of teammates and how those impressions dictate reward-giving and performance appraisals.
Main Performance Metrics
The scripts do no provide any key measures as they depend on the respective research questions. Millisecond added the following three summary measures
- player 1 selections: number of times participant selected player 1 with a certain personality/cheating behavior
- player 2 selections: number of times participant selected player 2 with a certain personality/cheating behavior has been selected
- player 3 selections: number of times participant selected player 3 with a certain personality/cheating behavior has been selected
Psychiatric Conditions
Synergize has not been used in research/testing with any clinical populations.
Test Variations
A team creativity task by Erez et al (2015) using easily adaptable electronic confederates who communicate with the participant player via chatbox. This version simulates a team dynamic environment where people with different personalities work together.
A team creativity task by Erez et al (2015) using easily adaptable electronic confederates who communicate with the participant player via chatbox. This version simulates a team dynamic environment where cheating behavior occurs.
References
Search Google Scholar for peer-reviewed, published research using the Inquisit Synergize Task.
Erez, A., Schilpzand, P., Leavitt, K., Woolum, A. H., & Judge, T. A. (2015). Inherently relational: Interactions between peers’ and individuals’ personalities impact reward giving and appraisal of individual performance. Academy of Management Journal, 58, 1761-1784.
Schilpzand, P., Leavitt, K., & Lim, S. (2016). Incivility hates company: Shared incivility attenuates rumination, stress, and psychological withdrawal by reducing self-blame. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 133, 33-44.
Leavitt, K., Qiu, F., & Shapiro, D.L. (2019). Using electronic confederates for experimental research in organizational science. Organizational Research Methods.