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Papers by Maureen McCusker

Frontiers in Psychology

Individuals in positions of power are often required to make high-stakes decisions. The approach-... more Individuals in positions of power are often required to make high-stakes decisions. The approach-inhibition theory of social power holds that elevated power activates approach-related tendencies, leading to decisiveness and action orientation. However, naturalistic decision-making research has often reported that increased power often has the opposite effect and causes more avoidant decision-making. To investigate the potential activation of avoidance-related tendencies in response to elevated power, this study employed an immersive scenario-based battery of least-worst decisions (the Least-Worst Uncertain Choice Inventory for Emergency Responses; LUCIFER) with members of the United States Armed Forces. In line with previous naturalistic decision-making research on the effect of power, this research found that in conditions of higher power, individuals found decisions more difficult and were more likely to make an avoidant choice. Furthermore, this effect was more pronounced in doma...

The purpose of the following study was to advance the science of leadership emergence by taking a... more The purpose of the following study was to advance the science of leadership emergence by taking a process-oriented approach to understand the dyadic micro-level interacts that underlie the emergence of leader-follower relationship. While most leadership emergence research focuses mainly on attributes, behaviors, or perceptions of individuals and neglects the multilevel, temporal and contextual of the emergence leaders, this study focuses on dyads’ attributes, behaviors and perceptions and considers the teams, over time, and in situ. Individuals worked together in teams over the course of four weeks to accomplish a task, and their verbal interactions were recorded and coded. Attributes of dyads and dyadic perceptions of leaderfollower relationship emergence were collected. Results showed dyads that were more similar in leadership self-efficacy were more likely to engage in symmetrical types of interactions. Furthermore, the more dyads engaged in such symmetrical exchanges, the more l...

Leadership emergence is best conceptualized as a complex, multi-level process arising from the dy... more Leadership emergence is best conceptualized as a complex, multi-level process arising from the dynamic interplay of all elements in the process: group members, relations, and context (Day, 2014). This study seeks to simultaneously examine to the role of each in the leadership emergence process by assessing leader and follower traits, their trait similarity, task, behaviors, and the network itself. Using a rotation design, 99 cadets in groups of three completed four tasks with alternating partners and subsequently provided sociometric ratings of each of their group members. Data was analyzed using Exponential Random Graph Modeling, which controls for endogenous group effects. In general, there was a tendency toward nominating others as leaders. High scores on dominance and intelligence predicted leadership emergence, and low scores on dominance predicted follower emergence. The type of task did not affect leadership emergence. Perceived leader behavior unexpectedly reduced the likelihood of nominating another as a leader. Results from this study highlight the importance of studying all components of leadership process and are once step closer toward doing so completely and accurately.

What’s Wrong with Leadership?, 2018

Personnel Assessment and Decisions, 2020

Employers are facing what is being referred to as the "global skills shortage" or "global skills ... more Employers are facing what is being referred to as the "global skills shortage" or "global skills crisis" (e.g.

Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 2020

INTRODUCTION Non-routine events (NREs) are atypical or unusual occurrences in a pre-defined proce... more INTRODUCTION Non-routine events (NREs) are atypical or unusual occurrences in a pre-defined process. Although some NREs in high-risk clinical settings have no adverse effects on patient care, others can potentially cause serious patient harm. A unified strategy for identifying and describing NREs in these domains will facilitate the comparison of results between studies. METHODS We conducted a literature search in PubMed, CINAHL, and EMBASE to identify studies related to NREs in high-risk domains and evaluated the methods used for event observation and description. We applied The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization (JCAHO) taxonomy (cause, impact, domain, type, prevention, and mitigation) to the descriptions of NREs from the literature. RESULTS We selected 25 articles that met inclusion criteria for review. Real-time documentation of NREs was more common than a retrospective video review. Thirteen studies used domain experts as observers and seven studies validated observations with interrater reliability. Using the JCAHO taxonomy, "cause" was the most frequently applied classification method, followed by "impact," "type," "domain," and "prevention and mitigation." CONCLUSIONS NREs are frequent in high-risk medical settings. Strengths identified in several studies included the use of multiple observers with domain expertise and validation of the event ascertainment approach using interrater reliability. By applying the JCAHO taxonomy to the current literature, we provide an example of a structured approach that can be used for future analyses of NREs.

Frontiers in Psychology, 2019

Intrateam competition is an inherently social and interactional process, yet it is not often stud... more Intrateam competition is an inherently social and interactional process, yet it is not often studied as such. Research on competition is mostly limited to studying it as an individual state and assumes that the resulting team outcomes are equivalent across different competition types. Often overlooked in competition research are the means through which competition can lead to constructive outcomes for the team. Constructive competition occurs when the primary motivation is not to win at the expense of others, but rather to make social comparisons and gain knowledge of relative competence. This study furthers insight into constructive competition by studying its interpersonal characteristics as it develops within a team, and its impact on task conflict, perceived performance, and team satisfaction. The conversations of 24 student project teams were recorded over 4 weeks and analyzed, operationalizing competition as an attempt to exert control and influence on the team. Each individual then provided sociometric ratings of perceived performance of each team member, and rated the level of task conflict and satisfaction of the team. The effects of competition on perceived performance and team satisfaction, both directly and indirectly through task conflict, were examined. Findings demonstrated a negative direct effect of competition on the range of perceived performance ratings, and a positive indirect effect of competition on team satisfaction as mediated through task conflict. The study broadens understanding on the construct of competition and underscores the positive implications competition can bring to the teams.

Human Relations, 2019

How can we enhance theory-method alignment when studying collective leadership? We propose that l... more How can we enhance theory-method alignment when studying collective leadership? We propose that leveraging methodological approaches that are powerful enough to address three primary challenges of collective leadership—the incorporation of time, context, and multiple levels—will promote a more robust body of collective leadership research and practice. In particular, we review and integrate three complementary methodological approaches—organizational discourse analysis, relational event modeling, and dynamic network analysis—which have the flexibility to address these challenges. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the utility of these methodological approaches for addressing major methodological challenges within the field of collective leadership. Through this effort, we aim to facilitate conversation across disparate streams of research and encourage researchers to explore how novel research questions and perspectives might be advanced through leveraging these methods, ...

International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 2017

Despite the popularity of frame-of-reference training (FORT), it is not clear how different struc... more Despite the popularity of frame-of-reference training (FORT), it is not clear how different structural elements of FORT work in concert to improve rating accuracy. Furthermore, past rater training studies have lacked rigorous control groups leading to low thresholds for showing improvements in rating accuracy due to FORT. The current study allowed for the isolation of components of rater training that increase rating accuracy when compared to a rigorously designed control group. Results indicated that repeated rendering of practice ratings improve rating accuracy and this practice effect was amplified by practice rating feedback. Although accuracy-based training content improved interrater agreement, it did not contribute to improvements rating accuracy over and above the control group. We discuss the implications of the findings in relation to best practices for designing rater training programs.

Handbook of Methods in Leadership Research