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Despite decades of research on teams, there are still gaps in our understanding of motivational dynamics within teams and the emergence of team‐level motivation. We advance a new team motivation model that invokes self‐determination theory (SDT), multilevel theory, emergence processes, and identity construction. Using the conceptualization of motivation offered by SDT, we define team motivation as a collective source of energy driving the direction, intensity, and persistence of team activities. By using SDT to develop the process‐based team motivation emergence model, we describe the role of human psychological needs that are involved in the emergence of this collective construct. An interpersonal feedback loop intertwined with a team process feedback loop predict how team members' individual motivations converge and then transform into team‐level motivation through a process of identity construction. Propositions for testing the model are advanced, as well as suggestions for methodological and analytical considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Military medical personnel are crucial in providing life-saving care at the point of injury (POI) in challenging environments such as combat zones and disaster areas. This article examines the specialized training US Military medical personnel undergo before deployment and the increasing trend of deploying as part of multinational forces in operations like those in Afghanistan with NATO and non-NATO countries. Integrating medical teams from diverse backgrounds poses significant challenges in maintaining a cohesive and efficient team due to varying trauma management training standards and medical practices among the allied forces. Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) training and the development of clinical practice guidelines (CPG) by the US Joint Trauma Service have been key strategies by the US Military to standardize care. However, the variation in trauma management training among NATO allies and the differences in medical subspecialties and approaches can lead to inefficiencies and reduced effectiveness in a multinational trauma center setting. For instance, the approach to trauma care can significantly differ between the US and European countries, impacting the interoperability and teamwork in multinational medical teams. To address these challenges, the article highlights the importance of standardized medical training programs that include cultural awareness to enhance the effectiveness of multidisciplinary, multinational medical teams. It also underscores the necessity for standardized international trauma training in the face of increasing global conflicts and the potential for large-scale combat operations. The article discusses the "Trauma Tuesday" program implemented in Kabul, Afghanistan, as an example of how intensive training and simulation exercises can improve team dynamics, knowledge, and skills in trauma management among a diverse team from various nations. The need for ongoing education and developing a standard for managing trauma patients in international teams is emphasized to ensure effective communication and coordination. The article suggests that multinational trauma training can significantly improve team cohesion and critical life-saving skills, essential for future battlefields where access to definitive care may be delayed. Further research is recommended to explore the best methods for achieving effective multinational medical team integration and training standardization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to establish the state of the art of motivation in work teams in the scientific literature. The research was of a descriptive type in which a bibliometric review scheme was adapted that includes the stages of recovery, migration, analysis, visualization, and interpretation of information. As a result, 59 research articles were obtained from which it stands out that the United States and China are the main scientific producers on the subject. Likewise, production has been constant and balanced in the 2018-2022 period, with research that mainly addressed aspects such as motivation, leadership, work teams, performance, and human talent, among others. Finally, research that addressed the consequences of motivation on the performance of work teams stands out, as well as the effect of leadership and other moderating variables on the motivation of people in work teams. It is expected that studies related to work teams will continue to grow, especially when work dynamics in today's organizations are strongly oriented towards the creation of competitive, high performance, autonomous, and self-regulated work teams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aimed to analyze the characteristics of engagement at work by female entrepreneurs who work in multilevel marketing in the city of Belém do Pará, Pará State, Brazil. Therefore, an exploratory and descriptive survey was carried out with non-probabilistic sampling by judgment comprising fifty-seven female entrepreneurs who agreed to participate in the study. Data were obtained by the Utrech Work Engagement Scale (UWES-17) and treated with statistical techniques in the form of frequency distribution and percentage calculations. Results showed high engagement at work with a predominance of vigor and dedication over absorption, presenting 73% of the sample highly engaged, 13% with intermediate engagement, and 14% disengaged. Conclusions indicate that companies and distributors have used adequate strategies to balance demands and resources, enabling engagement in the sales force job. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the benefits to leaders, managers, and employees of developing emotionally intelligent work teams to improve library services and project outcomes. These high performing teams form a cohesive identity based solely upon trust. The characteristics of these groups are considered and their contribution to enhancing organizational wellbeing and performance. Potentially any team is capable of learning these skills by adopting a growth mindset approach to their work. Analyses of the impact of an Emotional Culture and its influence on employee' behavior and attitudes displayed in the work place is also examined. Outcomes are determined by the type of feelings a leader decides to communicate to them nonverbally. Common problems affecting group dynamics were assessed, and emotional intelligence as an effective strategy to resolve team conflict was employed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the prevalence of hierarchies in work life, much research has focused on their performance outcomes, paying little attention to how hierarchies affect cooperative behavior among the members of organizational units. In an effort to fill this gap, the current research investigates the relationship between the degree of hierarchy and members' helping behavior in organizational work teams. Results from a field study conducted with 393 members of 60 work teams show that, at the team-level, hierarchies are negatively associated with helping behavior in organizational work teams, and that this relationship is moderated by members' perceptions of hierarchy legitimacy. More specifically, when team members perceive the hierarchy to be less legitimate (i.e., less fair and less proper), hierarchy is even more negatively related to helping behavior. Yet, when team members perceive the hierarchy to be more legitimate, hierarchy does not have such a clear effect on members' helping behavior. These findings offer important implications for organizations that seek to foster cooperative behavior among their employees and abolish the detriments of hierarchies in this respect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the skills necessary for the accounting professional and a guide (framework) to guide the formation of work teams that enhance the development of skills in Accounting students submitted to active teaching methodologies. A systematic literature review was carried out to identify the relevant skills to be investigated in research in Accounting students. After the execution of a pilot test, a controlled quasiexperiment was carried out, based on the active teaching methodology of Challenge Based Learning (CBL), and questionnaires were applied to groups of Accounting students. A total of 251 students from five Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the southern region of Brazil participated in the research. In the analysis of the results, tests of variance (ANOVA), chi-square, Tukey's test and descriptive analyzes were performed to confirm the research hypothesis. A systematic review of the literature presents the skills that must be developed in accounting training, and the results of the article present the main variables in the formation of work teams that promote the development of these skills through the use of active teaching methodologies. The contributions, in addition to the literature review, are to provide a guide to subsidize and guide the formation of work teams to boost the development of these skills. In the practical field, the article indicates which variables, in the formation of work teams, can boost the development of skills with a satisfactory degree of intensity, guiding educational initiatives based on active teaching methodologies, serving in the academic field as a reference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: García, Rodríguez, Diaz, and Estrada (1988, p. 70) define the work team as "a highly organized social entity oriented towards the achievement of a common task" who recognize and value their "own functional roles" (Bejarano, 2019, p. 112). For Arrea (2016, p. 97), teamwork "is not an innate quality" and must be learned by applying rules. For Guerrero, Delgado. and Sánchez (2018), researchers and companies agree on the factors that promote teamwork. For their success, organizations need to base their operation on teamwork (Rojas, Jaimes and Valencia, 2018). Beal, Bohlen and Raudabaugh (1964), Shein (1973) and Hersey and Blanchard (1986) define the maturity of a team as the level of development it is in, and it is a function of combining the competencies of its members (Guerrero et al., 2018), measured using a scale to establish the degree of maturity (Guiridkian and Cassanelli, 2010). The S-curve, model functions that grow gradually at the beginning, accelerate in the middle of the period and end slowly, describes and predicts human, animal and product population growth (Aguilar et al., 2012 y Zartha et al., 2017) Method: The present study is quantitative with a descriptive cross-sectional design, which worked with an incidental sample, made up of 32 work teams from 25 manufacturing companies in the city of Chihuahua, whose central inclusion criterion was belonging to the production department. The objective of the study was to graphically develop the development process followed by the work teams, applying the logistic growth curve, with the R(t) equation (Guerrero, 2006), using the group maturity variable (Montanari and Pilatti, 2014), along with over time, relative to the 9 factors established by the Integral and Dynamic Model, applying its measurement instrument (Guerrero, 2013), its justification arises from the fact of having a graphic representation that shows the development of team maturity as a function of the time. Results: S curve was generated using the Group Maturity calculated values, by means of simple linear regression, to determine the time values, at the levels of the maturity scale. The location coefficients were determined, b = 82 and k = 0.26, and the percentages were defined for each development phase of the Integral and Dynamic Model, and their estimated times. Discussion and conclusions: The plotted curve coincides with the curve proposed by Katzenbach and Smith (1995). Using the generated S-curve, percentages were established and limits were defined for each phase of the Integral and Dynamic Model that a work team must go through, as well as the estimated times it may take in each phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the most distinctive features of Chinese Communist Party governance is the frequent deployment of work teams to conduct campaigns, implement policies and troubleshoot crises. An underappreciated aspect of work-team operations from Land Reform to the present has been the active participation of educated intellectuals as key intermediaries between central leaders and grassroots society. Serving in effect as "missionaries" of the Party, intellectual work-team members function as trained "ritual specialists" in carrying out their appointed mission. Although work teams are often not the most efficient or effective means of governance, the impact of work-team experience on team members themselves is consequential. Employing quasi-religious practices designed to promote the ideological incorporation of intellectuals, work teams have helped to forestall the emergence in China of an alienated class of dissidents like those whose criticisms eroded the legitimacy of Communist regimes elsewhere in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The article analyses the impact of continuous improvement (system and teams) on business sustainability dimensions (social, environmental, operational, and financial) as a competitive strategy to create value for all stakeholders in emerging economy context. Design/methodology/approach: The data collected is from 120 companies of different sizes and 13 different industrial sectors such as food, energy, health, financial services, and logistics in Colombia. The design of multivariate logistic regression is to identify the critical aspects of the continuous improvement practices that significantly affect the dimensions of business sustainability. Findings: The analysis shows that from continuous improvement aspects (system and teams), employee involvement, human talent maintenance, training, and evaluation accompanied by feedback impact business sustainability. These elements impact financial and operational dimensions significantly but in the environmental and social aspects with less intensity. Research limitations/implications: Research is limited to the general sustainability analysis applying resource-based strategy in Colombia. Practical implications: Generate overall awareness of the importance of the equilibrium of sustainability dimensions in strategic planning and implementation in emerging economies. Originality/value: This work applies an empirical study to establish the impact of continuous improvement (system and teams) on each of the business sustainability dimensions (social, environmental, operational, and financial) in companies of emerging economie [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quality assurance includes all the factors involved in preventing quality problems within systematic and planned activities, which means the existence of a good quality managerial system in the field of human resources. The paper presents types of organizational structures that involve all personnel of a company in the assurance and continuous improvement of quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the importance of leadership for innovation processes has been acknowledged, the understanding of the relationships between leadership styles and levels of innovation in work teams is still limited. This study among team managers and team members of 133 Spanish bank branches (i.e., work teams) investigated whether the influence of charismatic leadership on work team innovative behavior comes about via team potency, and whether the relationship between charismatic leadership and team potency is moderated by the level of task interdependence within the team. Data were collected at three different time points. Results of structural equation modeling showed that only at high levels of task interdependence, team managers' charismatic leadership at time 1 was significantly positively related to an increase in team potency at time 2, which in turn was positively related to manager ratings of their work teams' innovative behavior at time 3. This means that only at high levels of task interdependence, charismatic leadership had a significant indirect effect on team innovative behavior via team potency. Thus, our study sheds light on the boundary conditions of this effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When teams operate in a dynamic and complex environment, their ability to adapt to changing demands is crucial for organizational success. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of empowering behaviors exhibited by team leaders in team adaptive performance by taking into account the mediating role of shared leadership displayed by team members and the moderating effect of access to resources. Data were collected from 82 work teams (i.e., 394 members and 82 immediate supervisors) in a public safety organization. Results of path analyses show that the relationship between empowering leader behaviors and team adaptive performance is mediated by shared leadership. Moreover, we found that the relationship between empowering leader behaviors and shared leadership is moderated by access to resources, such that this relationship is stronger when the level of access to resources is high. Overall, the findings shed light on the process through which team leaders can enhance the adaptive performance of their team. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this research was to design and analyze the psychometric properties of the Inventory to Evaluate the Effectiveness of the Work Teams (IET). The following phases were carried out: development of the preliminary version of the inventory based on the IMOI model (Inputs-Mediators-Outputs-Inputs), validation of the test and analysis of its psychometric properties. The total sample consisted of 286 employees from organizations in Bogota city, 211 women (73%) aged between 22 and 66 years old (M=33.1 and SD=9.9) and 75 men between 18 and 68 years old (M=32 and SD=11.3). The final version of IET is constituted by 46 items for the measurement of three theoretical dimensions and distinguishes the following factors in each dimension: in the input dimension: leadership (7 items), teamwork (6 items) and, climate and organizational culture (5 items); in the mediators dimension: action and transition processes (6 items) and team climate (4 items) and, finally, in the group and organizational level of results (15 items), and awards and rewards (3 items). It is concluded that the IET has adequate reliability and evidence of content and construct validity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among various grassroots governance practices adopted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), few have proven more adaptive and effective than the deployment of work teams—ad hoc units appointed and directed by higher-level Party and government organs and dispatched for a limited time to carry out a specific mission by means of mass mobilization. Yet, perhaps because work teams straddle the boundary between formal and informal institutions, they have received scant analytical attention. While work teams figure prominently in narrative accounts of the major campaigns of Mao's China, their origins, operations, and contemporary implications have yet to be fully explored. This article traces the roots of Chinese work teams to Russian revolutionary precedents, including plenipotentiaries, shock brigades, and 25,000ers, but argues that the CCP's adoption and enhancement of this practice involved creative adaptation over a sustained period of revolutionary and post-revolutionary experimentation. Sinicized work teams were not only a key factor in securing the victory of the Chinese Communist revolution and conducting Maoist mass campaigns such as Land Reform, Collectivization, and the Four Cleans; they continue to play an important role in the development and control of grassroots Chinese society even today. As a flexible means of spanning the center-periphery divide and combatting bureaucratic inertia, Chinese work teams, in contrast to their Soviet precursors, contribute to the resilience of the Communist party-state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which assessed the role of multidisciplinary teams (MDT) in improving care in geriatric medicine. Other topics include the perspective of behavioural safety science on geriatric care, the importance of prioritising non-technical skills (NTS) training like leadership, communication and team-work, and the need to establish high performing teams in geriatric care.

Dealing with conflicts in teams and work groups often tends to be deferred 'until a later date'. The fact that they can cause enormous costs is mostly overlooked. Studies suggest that up to 15 % of the daily working period is absorbed by conflicts. Executive managers estimate the time spent on conflicts to be around 40 %. There is no doubt that team conflicts at the work place have a negative impact on the performance and motivation of employees increasing the number of sick leaves. To regulate conflicts, swift action is called for, just as appropriate tools of analysis are needed to track down the source of conflict. Common diagnostic methods are the anonymous employee survey and open-process one-on-one interviews. The latter method is sometimes met with criticism by the counselling community. It is argued that the risk of influencing the interviewer's point of view is incalculable if individuals give dramatic accounts or tell lies. Siding with one party and causing mistrust by impeding open treatment of the conflict are further points of criticism. The paper argues that despite these reservations, the open-process one-on-one interview can be a highly effective instrument of team diagnostics, when it is done professionally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communicative exchanges consist of both static and dynamic structures that can be used for prediction. Temporal dynamics are often neglected in communication studies. We used Shannon's mathematical theory of communication to examine 1,594,690 contributions from 206,184 contributors to 38 open online collaborations. We found that about three-fourths of the total predictability of turn-taking stemmed from participation frequencies (static variance), while one-fourth originated from the temporal sequence (dynamic process). Most dynamic structure is contained within consecutive dyads. We found a trade-off in the importance of static and dynamic structures, and also found that static structure was predicted more strongly in a stationary process and dynamic structure in a nonstationary process. We offer a combination of both theoretical and empirical factors to explain these findings. These findings have implications both for theorizing and methodologically measuring communication as a dynamic process, as well as for the practical design of online collaboration systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the noted potential for team flow to enhance a team's effectiveness, productivity, performance, and capabilities, studies on the construct in the workplace context are scarce. Most research on flow at the group level has been focused on performance in athletics or the arts, and looks at the collective experience. But, the context of work has different parameters, which necessitate a look at individual and team level experiences. In this review, we extend current theories and essay a testable, multilevel model of team flow in the workplace that includes its likely prerequisites, characteristics, and benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we conceptualize personal initiative as a collective construct and adapt and validate a scale to evaluate it with a sample of 308 Spanish participants belonging to 91 work teams. Personal initiative at group level is a behavioural syndrome in which the team shows an approach to work that is self-initiated, proactive, persistent, capable of modifying the atmosphere and pro organization. As a predictive variable, we analysed the climate for initiative as well as personal initiative at group level. The resulting variables that were analysed referred to organization and team performance, with the team productivity and innovation as the criteria, analysing radical innovation. The scale has suitable psychometric properties. The results show that there is a relationship between the two predictive variables. Furthermore, personal initiative at group level is related to team productivity, while the climate for initiative is related to innovation. En este estudio se conceptualiza la iniciativa personal como un constructo colectivo y se adapta y valida una escala para evaluarlo con una muestra española de 308 participantes pertenecientes a 91 equipos de trabajo. La iniciativa personal a nivel grupal es un síndrome conductual en el que el equipo manifiesta una aproximación al trabajo autoiniciada, proactiva, persistente, capaz de modificar el ambiente y pro-organización. Como variable predictora se analizó el clima para la iniciativa, además de la iniciativa personal a nivel grupal. Las variables de resultado que se han analizado se refieren al desempeño organizacional y del equipo, tomando como criterio la productividad del equipo y la innovación, analizando la innovación radical. La escala cuenta con unas adecuadas propiedades psicométricas. Los resultados reflejan que existe relación entre las dos variables predictoras. Además, la iniciativa personal a nivel grupal se relaciona con la productividad del equipo, mientras que el clima para la iniciativa se relaciona con la innovación. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The present study aimed to find out how far the dimensions of the concept of Total Quality Management (TQM) in the Public Telecommunication Corporation (PTC) were implemented. It also aimed to ascertain how far the staff were aware of the benefits achieved, and to propose a set of recommendations for the Corporation to improve its performance in light of the concept of the TQM. The study followed a descriptive, analytical method. The population of the study consisted of all staff of the PTC in Taiz governorate, totaling 365 members. To achieve the purposes of the study, the researcher designed a questionnaire based on the literature and previous studies. The collected data were statistically processed using the SPSS software. The study concluded that the dimensions of TQM had varied and positive levels of implementation in the PTC, which ranged between (75 % - 86 %). The dimension of staff training and development had the highest level, while the dimension of top management support had the lowest level. The study provided a set of recommendations which stressed the necessity of increasing awareness and interest of applying TQM principles by the PTC in a comprehensive and meaningful way so as to improve its performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to explore the relationship between leadership styles and the performance of work teams. For this purpose, we work with a sample of 38 intermediate management teams in an organization in northern Chile. The results show that leadership styles explain 58.2% of the variance in the performance of the teams in the analyzed sample. Similarly, it should be noted that the transformational leadership (Test t = 1,907, p <0.065), transactional leadership (Test t = 2,610, p <0.013) and laissez-faire style (Test t = -1,867, p <0,071) are statistically relevant to explain the performance of the teams studied. With these results the scopes, limitations and implications of the research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing group and team effectiveness is fundamental for any organisation, especially during periods of economic crisis. In order to build or design a team or to optimise its work, it is necessary to consider tasks, processes and results. Given that teams are a key tool for competitiveness in the automotive sector, this paper focuses on how to improve the performance and the effectiveness of production teams in Spain's automotive industry through three processes: group development, group identification, and team potency. The results show that these processes predict 57% of group performance, and in particular two of the effectiveness criteria used in this sector: absenteeism and order and hygiene in the workplace. We discuss the usefulness of these results for managers and team leaders in order to improve team performance and effectiveness in the automotive sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the modern era firms should look for a sustainable and profitable business model. They operate in highly volatile and competitive markets. Innovation is a key element that allows firms to survive in these complex environments. Accordingly, some companies are developing human resource models that align to the actual competitive context. For instance, they establish democratic systems, flexible work practices, they focus on responsibility and initiative and increase the self-control of team members. In this framework, firms tend to use resources such as creativity, capacity for innovation or development of human talent. Therefore, innovative teams are able to adapt and react to turbulent, complex and dynamic environments, which allow them to handle in a more efficient way several subtasks. This fact gives rise to a higher effectiveness in the activities of firms. This paper analyze the characteristics and performance of multifunctional teams, virtual teams, open-innovation teams and self-managing teams. It also study the case of Semco, a company that is characterized by its innovative practices in human resources management and focus on responsibility and initiative and increase the self-control of team members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within systems of human capital management, the importance of relying on a leadership model that provides the capabilities to facilitate human processes and the integration of work teams is emphasized. In this context, it can be seen that Mexican organizations apply models of foreign leadership which do not respond fully to the characteristics and culture of Mexico, it can also be seen that a high percentage of these organizations apply the authoritarian model (Stakeholder) for the performance of its functions and activities within the production process. Moreover, there hasn't as yet been developed a profile of the Mexican leader that combines interest in the task, and the individual (Multi stakeholder) seeking increased productivity and individual wellbeing. This is relevant, since the rate of growth over the last twelve years has stagnated at around 2% of GDP. Under these circumstances, the adoption Empathetic Leadership by Mexican the adaption of the empathetic leadership model by Mexican organizations is proposed the profile of the leader, which has the advantage of the leader taking into account both the needs of the workers in general, and request made by the organizations' directors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the role of team-based reward leadership in regard to team performance by considering the mediating role of team commitment and the moderating effect of abusive supervision. Using a multisource approach, data was gathered from 381 members and 101 immediate supervisors (which represents 101 work teams) in a public safety organization. Results of path analyses show that the relationship between team-based reward leadership and team performance is mediated by team commitment. Moreover, results of hierarchical regression analyses indicate that the relationship between team-based reward leadership and team commitment is moderated by abusive supervision, such that this relationship is stronger when the level of abusive supervision is low. On the whole, the findings of this study help to better understand why and when team-based reward leadership may enhance team performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this article is to develop the Spanish adaptation of the internal functioning of Work Teams Scale (QFI-22). Methods: The scale was adapted from the French version, and was applied to a sample of 1,055 employees working for firms operating in Spain. The article analyses the internal structure (exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis) and internal consistency, and provides convergent validity evidence of the scale. Results: The QFI-22 scale shows the same internal structure as the original. Factor analysis confirmed the existence of two factors: interpersonal support and team work management, with good internal consistency coefficients (α1 = ,93; α2 = ,92). Regarding validity evidence, the QFI-22 scale has significant correlations with other correlates and alternative scales used for comparison purposes. The two factors correlated positively with team vision, participation safety, task orientation and support for innovation (Team Climate Inventory, TCI scale), with progressive culture (Organisational Culture, X-Y scale), and with creating change, customer focus and organisational learning (Denison Organizational Culture Survey, DOCS scale). In contrast, the two factors correlated negatively with traditional culture (X-Y scale). Conclusion: The QFI-22 scale is a useful instrument for assessing the internal functioning of work teams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese local officials frequently employ relational repression to demobilize protesters. When popular action occurs, they investigate activists' social ties, locate individuals who might be willing to help stop the protest, assemble a work team and dispatch it to conduct thought work. Work team members are then expected to use their personal influence to persuade relatives, friends and fellow townspeople to stand down. Those who fail are subject to punishment, including suspension of salary, removal from office and prosecution. Relational repression sometimes works. When local authorities have considerable say over work team members and bonds with protesters are strong, relational repression can help demobilize protesters and halt popular action. Even if relational repression does not end a protest entirely, it can limit its length and scope by reducing tension at times of high strain and providing a channel for negotiation. Often, however, as in a 2005 environmental protest in Zhejiang, insufficiently tight ties and limited concern about consequences creates a commitment deficit, partly because thought workers recognize their ineffectiveness with many protesters and partly because they anticipate little or no punishment for failing to demobilize anyone other than a close relative. The practice and effectiveness of relational, “soft” repression in China casts light on how social ties can demobilize as well as mobilize contention and ways in which state and social power can be combined to serve state ends. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study investigates the role of collective autonomy in regard to team absenteeism by considering team potency as a motivational mediator and task routineness as a moderator. The sample consists of 90 work teams (327 members and 90 immediate superiors) drawn from a public safety organization. Results of structural equation modeling indicate that the relationships between collective autonomy and two indicators of team absenteeism (i.e., absence frequency and time lost) are mediated by team potency. Specifically, collective autonomy is positively related to team potency which in turn is negatively related to team absenteeism. Furthermore, results of hierarchical regression analyses show that task routineness moderates the relationships between collective autonomy and the two indicators of team absenteeism such that these relationships are stronger when the level of task routineness is low. On the whole, this study points out that collective autonomy may exercise a motivational effect on attendance at work within teams, but this effect is contingent on task routineness. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this study we investigated the relationship between team size and quality of group experience as well as the mediating role of counterproductive behaviors. The study was conducted among a sample of 97 work teams from a public safety organization. The results support the negative relationship between team size and quality of group experience. In addition, each of the 4 categories of counterpro- ductive behaviors (i.e., parasitism, interpersonal aggression, boastfulness, and misuse of resources) plays a mediating role in this relationship. This study shows the importance for managers to avoid creating overly large teams, at the risk of fostering the adoption of counterproductive behaviors and adversely affecting the quality of life at work within teams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When studying work teams, understanding the phenomena which determine or influence the cooperation among individuals is essential. In spite of the importance given to the concept of trust for the good functioning of interpersonal relations and cooperative actions in work teams, little research has been conducted in order to reveal the importance of trust in relation with work team formation and group processes in general. The purpose of this study was to examine trust in work teams for developing a more contextualized understanding of the way trust emerges when temporary research project teams are considered. Nine students who participated in research project teams were interviewed. Detailed descriptions of working in research project teams and the process of trust formation were elicited. Data were analyzed using the grounded theory approach and a model of trust formation was proposed based on the way the participants described their own experience of trust. Two aspects are emphasized by the research findings: the importance of implicit information processing in trust formation, and the dynamic character of trust formation. Implications of findings are discussed and directions for future research are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teams do not always provide the diversity of knowledge, attitudes, skills and experience required to generate an innovative response to challenges or perform according to expectations. This paper synthesizes the key results of research into work teams carried out over the last decade from 1999 through 2009. To this end, we set out a brief explanatory framework for the effectiveness of work teams based on a differentiated analysis of inputs, mediators and outcomes. Our approach uses the SWOT technique, which identifies strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats with a view to teamwork research in the next decade. Finally, we integrate and discuss the key challenges facing the field if it is to change threats into opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the research on the relationship between organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and performance has been conducted at the individual level. During the past 10 years, however, group-level research on that relationship has begun to appear. This article meta-analytically reviews 38 independent samples (N = 3,097) in which the relationship between OCB and performance was studied at the group level. The analyses in this study suggest a positive overall relationship between OCB and performance (ρ = .29), as well as the presence of several moderating variables. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed, and some suggestions for future research are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is one of the most common personality assessments and a frequently used instrument for team development. However, in relation to team development processes, there is little research and literature on the role of personality in general and the usefulness of MBTI in particular. This article starts with a review of the MBTI and explores the relationship between MBTI profiles and team processes using a sample of 1,630 people working in 156 teams in a Swedish industrial organization. The results show that only a small number of MBTI personality profiles have a significant relationship with team processes. Overall, the composition of teams in terms of MBTI profiles does not seem to predict team development very well. Findings suggest that the MBTI may be used as an instrument for personal development and as a vehicle for group members to gain a better understanding of each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on team members' perceptions of organizational support as antecedents of team processes and potency. Potency is team members' collective belief that the team can be effective. In a field study of 39 work teams in six organizations, the authors find a positive relationship between organizational support and potency that is mediated by effective team processes. The authors also find a positive relationship between team processes and managers' ratings of team performance that is mediated by potency. Understanding how organizational support affects potency is important because research has consistently found that potency is strongly associated with team performance, yet little is known about how organizational context affects potency. Therefore, this research has practical as well as theoretical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From Groups to work teams through process or personal communication: Reflections on the methodological foundation of the process. Getting into work teams on the basis of communication is a need under the conditions of the present world, either in activities dealing with enterprises or the civil service. In its expanding social scope and function, institutions of higher education increasingly go off campus. Thus, the improvement of interaction and participation based on communication become a priority. The underlying theory of this process is management engineering and interactive methods through debate and discussion, as a basic communication approach. The transversal nature of the communication process, as a work habit, throughout the course is a strength for team work and the development of communicative competences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three hundred and fifteen workers from three multinational corporations participated in this study. The results demonstrated that group goals were able to increase task performance for homogeneous collectivist groups as well as for groups composed of both individualists and collectivists. The ability of a group goal to facilitate team performance for both heterogeneous and homogeneous work groups lends support to the intercultural properties of group goals for interdependent task groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on a recent survey of establishments in the United States, the authors examine how nonprofit, public, and for-profit establishments vary in the use of high-performance work organization (HPWO) practices that offer opportunities for participation in decision making (via self-directed teams and offline committees), enhance the capacity for participation (via multiskilling practices such as job rotation), and provide incentives for participation (via compensation practices). Nonprofit and public organizations are less likely to use performance incentives (gain sharing and bonuses) and some multiskilling practices than are for-profit organizations but more likely to use both self-directed work teams and offline committees. Sectoral differences in the prevalence of incentive compensation and self-directed teams persist after correlates of sector that predict HPWO prevalence—including establishment size, industry, computational requirements, and unionization—are controlled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Literature on management, work and organizational psychology commonly shows a positive influence of both teamwork and work teams on both the psychosocial needs and the organizational outcome. However, such overrepresentation of optimistic outputs might not realistically reflect the consequences of teamwork implementation to organizations, groups and individuals. This paper explores the many difficulties associated with teamwork implementation, specifically those difficulties linked to the restructuring of both power and work organization. This manuscript also examines individual resistances associated to teamwork-driven organizational change. This paper does not question teamwork potential in terms of achieving individual, group and organizational goals, but its effectiveness when adequate structure, training, management and support are missing. A more critical approach to the costs and benefits of teamwork implementation would allow a better use of work teams in organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advancing transactive memory (TM) theory, this research explores information retrieval between members of 12 preexisting organizational work teams. The teams examined are larger than the ad hoc groups studied in previous TM research. The central components are team members' (a) communication for topic-specific information retrieval, (b) perceptions of their own knowledge levels, and (c) perceptions of each others' knowledge levels. Social network analysis techniques were used to examine the communication ties between members at multiple levels. The emergent communication patterns were compared to theoretically expected patterns. The perceptions of self and others' expertise were used to understand the emergent patterns. The results show emergent communication patterns in these work teams only partially match the theoretical predictions and are highly related to members' perceptions of others' expertise. Self-reported expertise levels were not good indicators of the communication patterns. The results also reveal emergent structures counterintuitive to TM theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of this study were to test the relationships between team goal commitment and 3 criteria of team effectiveness (i.e., team performance, quality of group experience, and team viability) as well as to examine the moderating effect of task interdependence and the mediating role of supportive behaviors. Data were gathered from a sample of 74 teams working in 13 Canadian organizations. Results indicated that team goal commitment is positively related to all 3 criteria of team effectiveness. In addition, task interdependence moderates the relationship between team goal commitment and team performance. Furthermore, supportive behaviors mediate the relationships that team goal commitment has with team performance and the quality of group experience. Implications of these findings and future research needs are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers have been attempting to identify the factors that contribute to virtual team success. Two virtual teams were studied over six-months using an interpretive approach and qualitative data collection techniques. The outcomes of these teams were outwardly very poor. Yet, team members considered themselves successful in relation to the circumstances in which they found themselves. The team members identified the factors they believed contributed to the outcomes and the rationale for why they were successful despite the outward appearances. The interpretive approach allowed for an exploration of the circumstances, and how these perspectives were derived. The cases indicate that working in distributed mode can be problematic if teamwork issues are not addressed, and a technological focus adopted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review examines relationships between group personality composition (GPC) and group effectiveness, focusing on four questions: (a) How have researchers operationalized GPC? (b) What criteria have been used as measures of group effectiveness? (c) Is GPC related to group effectiveness? (d) Under what conditions is GPC associated with group effectiveness? A review of 31 studies yielding 334 unique relationships distinguished task and relationship predictors and criteria. Findings indicate operational definitions of GPC are varied, variance scores correlate negatively with group effectiveness, and minimum scores predict as well as mean scores. GPC is related to group effectiveness, and the effect is stronger infield studies than lab studies. Implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research links the development of a collaborative community of educators to enhanced teaching and learning effectiveness. This study contributes to this research by testing a work group effectiveness model with a sample of teachers from middle school teams. The study assesses the interrelationships among the model's antecedent variables (organizational context, design features, and interpersonal processes), intermediate variables (effort, knowledge/skills applied, and appropriateness of strategies ), and final outcome variables (teaching and learning effectiveness). A survey developed to capture the concepts in the model was completed by 174 teacher members of interdisciplinary, instructional teams in a large urban district's middle schools. Findings indicate that two fundamental variables, knowledge/skills applied to the work and appropriateness of strategies, are core mediators in the model. Two healthy interpersonal processes variables were also found to have direct effects on perceptions that teaming had improved teaching and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although initial work on minority influence was spurred by interest in group processes, relevant research has rarely examined interactions between majority and minority factions. In particular, little is known about how current members of work teams respond to newcomers’ efforts to change existing work practices. In this study, three-person teams (a commander and two subordinates) used a computer-based air-surveillance system to monitor planes flying through a simulated airspace. After either choosing or being assigned a task strategy, teams completed a work shift and received feedback that they had either failed or succeeded. One subordinate was then replaced by a confederate (newcomer) who suggested a new strategy for the next shift. As predicted, newcomers were more influential when teams had been assigned rather than chosen their initial strategy and had subsequently failed rather than succeeded. Although newcomers are often portrayed as passive recipients of influence, this study identifies conditions under which they can function as influence agents. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Distinctions among different types of work teams have been emerging in the theoretical literature as a key to understanding important work team processes. This has been precipitated by an increased appreciation of the importance of a work team's operating environment on such processes. Moreover, such distinctions are felt to be useful to practice in such areas as team staffing, training, and establishing leadership requirements. The present study investigates the concept of "crews" and contrasts it with other types of work teams by empirically assessing "crewness," the extent to which a work team can be classified as a crew. A new scale of "crewness" was developed and administered to various collectives of workers including fire fighter crew members and project team members in order to establish the unique qualities of crews to show that they are a distinct type of work team. Construct and discriminant validity evidence is offered in support of the crewness scale. Approaches for further investigation of this distinction are also provided in order to guide both research and practice in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teams are an integral part of many manufacturing organizations today. This paper explores the relationships between nine organizational context variables, team processes, and three measures of team effectiveness. The research was conducted within one business unit of a Fortune 50 high-technology company. Twenty-one intact production work teams were the focus of the study. Using path analysis, significant direct relationships between six organizational context factors and three measures of team effectiveness were found. The management processes associated with establishing a clear team purpose that is aligned with organizational goals and the allocation of critical resources were both positively related to team member satisfaction. An organizational culture that supports communication and cooperation between teams and the integration of teams was found to have a significant and positive linear relationship with two different team leader ratings of effectiveness and with team member satisfaction. Organizational systems that provide teams with the necessary information were found to have a significant and positive linear relationship with both team leader ratings of effectiveness and team member satisfaction. Organizational systems that provide teams with the necessary training were found to have a significant and positive linear relationship with team member satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study extended the current literature on group diversity by examining the moderating influence of perceived group openness to diversity on the relationships between perceived individual visible, informational, and value dissimilarity; individual task and relationship conflict; and work group involvement. A survey was administered to 129 public service employees who worked in intact teams. Results revealed that value dissimilarity had a positive association with task and relationship conflict and a negative association with work group involvement. Perceived group openness to diversity moderated the associations between visible and informational dissimilarity and work group involvement, and between value dissimilarity and task conflict. These results highlight the importance of managing differences by introducing norms promoting diversity and the involvement of all team members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We investigate cortisol concentrations following work tasks as a function of sex. • Participants generally exhibited higher cortisol after working with opposite-sex partners. • The nature of the task (cooperative or competitive) was relevant. • Same-sex dyads/triads performed better on a cooperative task than opposite-sex. • Our findings have implications for short-term teams with changing membership. Previous research indicates that circulating concentrations of cortisol increase during interactions with opposite-sex others in the presence of mating cues. However, it remains unknown whether this phenomenon extends to work-related tasks in which explicit mating cues are absent. In a series of two studies, we assessed women's and men's salivary cortisol concentrations before and after completing a cooperative brainstorming (Study 1) and competitive negotiation (Study 2) task wherein they worked with same- or opposite-sex partners. Both studies revealed significant participant sex by partner sex interactions. Specifically, male participants demonstrated significantly larger increases in salivary cortisol concentrations when working alongside opposite-sex as opposed to same-sex partners on a cooperative task. In contrast, female participants demonstrated significantly larger increases in salivary cortisol concentrations when working with opposite-sex as opposed to same-sex partners on a competitive task. Opposite-sex teams also produced fewer novel ideas relative to same-sex teams on the cooperative brainstorming task; however, differences in cortisol did not account for this effect. Our research extends previous research demonstrating elevated cortisol during opposite-sex interactions in the presence of explicit mating cues to a work-related context that is divorced from mating cues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]