Some effects of unequal distribution of information in a wheel group structure.

Abstract

IN THE immediately preceding report, Shaw (1) investigated some effects of unequal distribution of problem-related information in group structures. In general, he found that information distribution within structures had no effect upon over-all structure measures of time, message units, errors, or morale although decreasing or increasing the amount of information initially available to an indiindual within a structure had an effect similar to respectively decreasing or increasing the individual centrality index of that position.There are, however, other distributions which affect the generality of this finding. In any structure having central person(s) information may be distributed so that a peripheral person receives more or so that a central person(s) receives more. Shaw's experiment tested only the former possibility: the present experiment tests both possibilities using the four-person wheel structure.

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