Leadership in MMORPGs Informed Consent
Welcome!
You are being asked to participate in a research project conducted by Timothy Lisk in the School of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences, Claremont Graduate University (CGU) and Claremont McKenna College, Kravis Leadership Institute (KLI). You are being asked because you play a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game and are at least 18 years old.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to examine leader behavior in virtual teams.
PARTICIPATION: You will be asked to complete a pretest survey asking about your style of leadership and some aspects of your leadership experience in your guild/corporation. We expect the pretest to take about 5-10 minutes of your time. Afterward, you will be matched with other participants to create teams of 5 that will then take part in a 20 minute multiplayer survival simulation. After the experiment, you will be asked to complete a posttest about your team leader. The posttest should take about 5 minutes of your time. Altogether, we expect this experiment to take about 35-40 minutes of your time.
RISKS & BENEFITS: The potential risks associated with this study include the potential discovery that you aren’t as active a leader as you thought you were or that you or your team does not work as well together as you thought. Additional risks associated with this study are minimal cartoon violence and potential discomfort if you or someone you know has ever been involved in an extreme survival situation (the survival simulation takes place just after your team has crash landed on an island). This project may provide you with teamwork practice and insight. We expect this research to benefit science, organizations, and players by better explaining the links between leader behavior and success in virtual teams. Better understanding of virtual teams can help organizations operate more effeciently and provide employees with more freedom regarding when, where, and how they work.
VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION: You may receive game currency as compensation for your participation. There will be one prize (25 million EVE isk) awarded to the team that progresses the furthest through the simulation and one randomly awarded prize (25 million EVE isk). The odds of winning the lottery prize depend on how many teams complete the experiment (approximately 1 in 50). On the off chance the "best" team is also picked for the lottery prize, there will be a redraw.
VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION: Please understand that participation is completely voluntary. Your decision whether or not to participate will in no way affect your current or future relationship with CGU or its faculty, students, or staff, or Kravis Leadership Institute. You have the right to withdraw from the research at any time without penalty. You also have the right to refuse to answer any question(s) for any reason, without penalty.
CONFIDENTIALITY: Your individual privacy will be maintained in all publications or presentations resulting from this study. Your email address is collected to coordinate team sessions and link your pre/post test responses. In order to preserve the confidentiality of your responses, your email address will be deleted once your responses are collected. Other than your email address, no personally identifying information will be collected. Your email address will not be shared/sold.
If you have any questions or would like additional information about this research, please contact me at [email protected]. You can also contact my research advisor, Ron Riggio, at [email protected]. The CGU Institutional Review Board, which is administered through the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP), has approved this project. You may also contact ORSP at (909) 607-9406 with any questions.
You are welcome to print a copy of this consent page.
Click "Continue" only if you are 18 or older and agree to participate in this study.
Most experimental sessions will take place during weekends and weekday early evenings (Pacific Time). If you have a preferred day/time when you can take part in the 20 minute experimental session, please let us know (include the time zone if not Pacific Time!) What is your corp name? (please be as accurate as possible -- leave blank if you are not in a guild/corp) What is your corp ticker/abbreviation? (please be as accurate as possible -- leave blank for none)
What is your email address? (this is how you will be assigned to your team and given your experimental instructions -- it will NOT be shared and will be DELETED as soon as the experiment is finished)
For each of the following statements, please select the response that most closely matches you.
At any time in your life, what is the maximum number of hours per week you have spent using the following software:
Approximately how many members are there in your corp? (enter 0 or leave blank if you are not in a corp) Approximately how many members are there in your alliance? (enter 0 or leave blank if you are not in an alliance)
Please select the choice that best describes your corp leadership:
Please select the choice that best describes your corp role:
How many subordinates do you have in your corp? (enter 0 or leave blank if you have no subordinates)
Employment (select all that currently apply):
Tip: This is the last page of the pretest!
Answer with EVE in mind
These questions give you a chance to describe your EVE Online leadership style as you perceive it. Judge how frequently each statement fits you. Do the best you can to answer each question, even if it seems irrelevant. The word “others” generally refers to your fellow corp members (or other player in the game, if you're not in a corp). If you are a member of an alliance, please focus on your corp.
Focus only on your activities in EVE Online when you answer these questions.
| | | | | Frequently, if not always | I provide others with assistance in exchange for their efforts | | | | | | | I fail to interfere until problems become serious | | | | | | | I focus attention on irregularities, mistakes, exceptions, and deviations from standards | | | | | | | I talk about my most important values and beliefs | | | | | | | I seek differing perspectives when solving problems | | | | | | | I talk optimistically about the future | | | | | | | I instill pride in others for being associated with me | | | | | | | I discuss in specific terms who is responsible for achieving specific tasks | | | | | | | I wait for things to go wrong before taking action | | | | | | | I talk enthusiastically about what needs to be accomplished | | | | | | | | | | | | Frequently, if not always | I specify the importance of having a strong sense of purpose | | | | | | | I spend time teaching and coaching | | | | | | | I re-examine critical assumptions to question whether they are appropriate | | | | | | | I make clear what one can expect to receive when goals are achieved | | | | | | | I show that I am a firm believer in “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” | | | | | | | I go beyond self-interest for the good of the group | | | | | | |
| | | | | Frequently, if not always | I consider an individual as having different needs, abilities, and aspirations from others | | | | | | | I get others to look at problems from many different angles | | | | | | | I help others to develop their strengths | | | | | | | I suggest new ways of looking at how to complete assignments | | | | | | | I treat others as individuals rather than just a member of the group | | | | | | | I direct my attention toward failures to meet standards | | | | | | | I act in ways that build others’ respect for me | | | | | | | I demonstrate that problems must become chronic before I take action | | | | | | | I consider the moral and ethical consequences of decisions | | | | | | | I concentrate my full attention on dealing with mistakes, complaints, and failures | | | | | | | | | | | | Frequently, if not always | I keep track of all mistakes | | | | | | | I display a sense of power and confidence | | | | | | | I articulate a compelling vision of the future | | | | | | | I emphasize the importance of having a collective sense of mission | | | | | | | I express satisfaction when others meet expectations | | | | | | | I express confidence that goals will be achieved | | | | | | |
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