Weakest Link Goal Orientations and Team Expertise: Implications for Team Performance

Using prior theory and research, we argue that a team member with a low learning goal or a high avoid orientation is detrimental for the expertise–performance relationship in team tasks. Results from a study of 82 teams showed that, after controlling for goal orientation team composition, expertise improved team performance only when teams did not have a weak link team member. In contrast, when teams had this weak link teammate, expertise did not improve performance, and in some cases damaged it. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.