When Instructions Based on Constructive Controversy Boost Synergy in Online Groups

Abstract

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, an increasing number of people throughout the world participated in remote meetings in online groups using videoconferencing systems. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects on group synergy of a series of instructions based on constructive controversy delivered during online collaboration. After performing a decision-making task individually, 125 participants were randomly assigned to online groups to collaborate and reach a consensus using a videoconferencing system, either in “free discussion” or “instructed discussion” groups. Results revealed that groups with instructions outperformed their best members (strong synergy) at higher rates than groups without instructions. Moreover, participants reported higher epistemic conflict regulation when they received instructions than when they did not. These findings suggest that providing instructions based on constructive controversy during a collaborative task can boost synergy and epistemic conflict regulation in online groups.

Acknowledgements

We thank all the students who participated in our study, as well as Sophie Brunot, Lucie Jacoutot, Denis Querat and Charlie Renaud for their help in collecting data.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Data and codebook are available on our OSF webpage: https://osf.io/ca4gq/

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Brivael Hémon

Brivael Hémon obtained his PhD in social psychology at the University of Rennes 2 (France). His research focuses on safety voice, teamwork skills and collaboration in work groups. In his current postdoctoral position, he is working on the use of online tools to develop collaborative skills.

Anthony Cherbonnier

Anthony Cherbonnier is a post-doctoral fellow in social psychology and ergonomics at the University of Rennes 2 (France) where he obtained his PhD. His research focuses on emotion in online environments, collaborative skills and human-computer interaction.

Estelle Michinov

Estelle Michinov is a Professor of social psychology at the University of Rennes 2 (France). Her research interests group processes and team performance in different contexts. She examines factors that contribute to team performance and team training methods (simulation-based, technology based and virtual reality).

Eric Jamet

Eric Jamet is a Professor of cognitive psychology and ergonomics at the University of Rennes 2 (France). His research focuses on various issues related to the cognitive processing of complex documents and human-computer interaction (e.g., e-learning and multimedia comprehension, active learning and scaffolding effects).

Nicolas Michinov

Nicolas Michinov is a Professor of social and applied psychology at the University of Rennes 2 (France). He studies individual and group processes to determine their influence on different outcomes (e.g., performance, creativity and emotional states), and in different contexts, such as collaborative working, collaborative learning and online learning.