Appraisal in a Team Context: Perceptions of Cohesion Predict Competition Importance and Prospects for Coping

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 489-499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Svenja A. Wolf ◽  
Mark A. Eys ◽  
Pamela Sadler ◽  
Jens Kleinert
Keyword(s):  
Social Context ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Team Sport ◽  
Team Cohesion ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Impact Performance ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Task Cohesion ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
And Performance

Athletes’ precompetitive appraisal is important because it determines emotions, which may impact performance. When part of a team, athletes perform their appraisal within a social context, and in this study we examined whether perceived team cohesion, as a characteristic of this context, related to appraisal. We asked 386 male and female intercollegiate team-sport athletes to respond to measures of cohesion and precompetitive appraisal before an in-season game. For males and females, across all teams, (a) an appraisal of increased competition importance was predicted by perceptions of higher task cohesion (individual level), better previous team performance, and a weaker opponent (team level) and (b) an appraisal of more positive prospects for coping with competitive demands was predicted by higher individual attractions to the group (individual level). Consequently, athletes who perceive their team as more cohesive likely appraise the pending competition as a challenge, which would benefit both emotions and performance.

The team cohesion-performance relationship: A meta-analysis exploring measurement approaches and the changing team landscape

2021 ◽  
pp. 204138662110411
Author(s):  
Rebecca Grossman ◽  
Kevin Nolan ◽  
Zachary Rosch ◽  
David Mazer ◽  
Eduardo Salas
Keyword(s):  
Team Performance ◽  
Social Cohesion ◽  
Performance Metrics ◽  
Team Cohesion ◽  
Plain Language ◽  
Predictive Capacity ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Optimal Measurement ◽  
Task Cohesion ◽  
Team Characteristics

Team cohesion is an important antecedent of team performance, but our understanding of this relationship is mired by inconsistencies in how cohesion has been conceptualized and measured. The nature of teams is also changing, and the effect of this change is unclear. By meta-analyzing the cohesion-performance relationship ( k = 195, n = 12,023), examining measurement moderators, and distinguishing modern and traditional team characteristics, we uncovered various insights. First, the cohesion-performance relationship varies based on degree of proximity. More proximal measures –task cohesion, referent-shift, and behaviorally-focused– show stronger relationships compared to social cohesion, direct consensus, and attitudinally-focused, which are more distal. Differences are more pronounced when performance metrics are also distal. Second, group pride is more predictive than expected. Third, the cohesion-performance relationship and predictive capacity of different measures are changing in modern contexts, but findings pertaining to optimal measurement approaches largely generalized. Lastly, important nuances across modern characteristics warrant attention in research and practice. Plain Language Summary Team cohesion is an important antecedent of team performance, but our understanding of this relationship is mired by inconsistencies in how cohesion has been conceptualized and measured. The nature of teams has also changed over time, and the effect of this change is unclear. By meta-analyzing the cohesion-performance relationship ( k = 195, n = 12,023), examining measurement moderators, and distinguishing between modern and traditional team characteristics, we uncovered various insights for both research and practice. First, the cohesion-performance relationship varies based on degree of proximity. Measures that are more proximal to what a team does – those assessing task cohesion, utilizing referent shift items, and capturing behavioral manifestations of cohesion – show stronger relationships with performance compared to those assessing social cohesion, utilizing direct consensus items, and capturing attitudinal manifestations of cohesion, which are more distal. These differences are more pronounced when performance metrics are also more distal. Second, despite being understudied, the group pride-performance relationship was stronger than expected. Third, modern team characteristics are changing both the overall cohesion-performance relationship and the predictive capacity of different measurement approaches, but findings pertaining to the most optimal measurement approaches largely generalized in that these approaches were less susceptible to the influence of modern characteristics. However, in some contexts, distal cohesion metrics are just as predictive as their more proximal counterparts. Lastly, there are important nuances across different characteristics of modern teams that warrant additional research attention and should be considered in practice. Overall, findings greatly advance science and practice pertaining to the team cohesion-performance relationship.

scholarly journals What Makes Creative Teams Tick? Cohesion, Engagement, and Performance Across Creativity Tasks: A Three-Wave Study

2016 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 521-547 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alma M. Rodríguez-Sánchez ◽  
Toon Devloo ◽  
Ramón Rico ◽  
Marisa Salanova ◽  
Frederik Anseel
Keyword(s):  
Team Performance ◽  
Task Engagement ◽  
Team Cohesion ◽  
Creative Performance ◽  
Mediational Process ◽  
Wave Research ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Mediational Role ◽  
Organizational Simulation

The present study examines the mediational role of collective engagement in the relationship between team cohesion and team creative performance. A reciprocal process was expected to unfold across creativity task episodes: (a) team cohesion leads to collective task engagement, which in turn has a positive effect on team creative performance (perceived team performance and independently rated creativity), and (b) perceived team creative performance predicts the development of future team cohesion. The study relied on a longitudinal three-wave research design through an organizational simulation exercise, in which 118 project teams (605 individuals) were charged with three creativity tasks. This study advances collective task engagement as an important mediational process explaining team performance in creative activities.

scholarly journals Efficacy Beliefs Are Related to Task Cohesion: Communication Is a Mediator

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 187-197
Author(s):  
Sarah P. McLean ◽  
Christine M. Habeeb ◽  
Pete Coffee ◽  
Robert C. Eklund
Keyword(s):  
Path Analysis ◽  
Collective Efficacy ◽  
Team Sport ◽  
Efficacy Beliefs ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Group Integration ◽  
Task Cohesion ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Integration Data ◽  
And Task

Efficacy beliefs and communication are key constructs that have been targeted to develop task cohesion. This study’s purpose was to (a) examine whether collective efficacy, team-focused other-efficacy, and team-focused relation-inferred self-efficacy are predictive of task cohesion and (b) evaluate the possibility that communication mediates efficacy–task cohesion relationships. British university team-sport athletes (N = 250) completed questionnaires assessing efficacy beliefs, communication (i.e., positive conflict, negative conflict, and acceptance communication), and task cohesion (i.e., attractions to group, group integration). Data were subjected to a multigroup path analysis to test mediation hypotheses while also addressing potential differences across males and females. Across all athletes, collective efficacy and team-focused other-efficacy significantly predicted attractions to group and group integration directly. Positive conflict and acceptance communication significantly mediated relationships between efficacy (team-focused other-efficacy, collective efficacy) and cohesion (attractions to group, group integration). Findings suggest that enhancing athletes’ collective efficacy and team-focused efficacy beliefs will encourage communication factors affecting task cohesion.

scholarly journals Mitigating the Detrimental Impact of Maximum Negative Affect on Team Cohesion and Performance Through Face-to-Face Communication

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 211-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Sharon Hill ◽  
Lynn R. Offermann ◽  
Kaitlin Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Indirect Effect ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Team Cohesion ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Interdependence Theory ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Team Functioning ◽  
Detrimental Impact

Research on team affective composition has been limited by primarily focusing on the influence of the mean level of team affect despite suggestions that even one affectively negative member may have a disproportionate influence on team functioning and outcomes. Drawing on key tenets of social interdependence theory and integrating team affect and communication research, we investigate the influence of the team member with the highest score on trait negative affect (maximum negative affect). We also highlight an important factor, face-to-face communication, that may mitigate the detrimental effect of maximum negative affect. Results show that the negative impact of team maximum negative affect on team cohesion, and the indirect effect on team performance behaviors through cohesion, is attenuated in teams that meet face-to-face more frequently. In addition, team performance behaviors mediate the indirect effect of cohesion on the team’s task performance outcome. Our findings make significant contributions to team affect research and also have important practical implications for managing negative affectivity in teams.

scholarly journals Analysis of Cohesion and Collective Efficacy Profiles for the Performance of Soccer Players

2013 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 221-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco M. Leo ◽  
Pedro A. Sánchez-Miguel ◽  
David Sánchez-Oliva ◽  
Diana Amado ◽  
Tomás García-Calvo
Keyword(s):  
Collective Efficacy ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Soccer Players ◽  
Perceived Efficacy ◽  
Task Cohesion ◽  
National League ◽  
Playing Time ◽  
And Performance ◽  
And Task

Abstract The principal aims of the study were to define different profiles of cohesion and perceived efficacy in soccer players and to measure their differences in performance. The subjects were 235 soccer players in the under-18 category who played in the National League in Spain and 15 coaches whose ages ranged from 29 to 45 years. Diverse instruments to assess cohesion, perceived efficacy, and expectations of success were used in the study. Moreover, we measured playing time and performance. The results of the study proved the existence of four cohesion and efficacy profiles that presented significant differences in expectations of success, playing time, and performance. Furthermore, significant differences were found in the distribution of players in the teams as a function of performance. The main conclusion of this study is that soccer players with higher cohesion and collective efficacy levels belonged to teams that completed the season at the top-level classification. In contrast, athletes with low cohesion and collective efficacy usually played in unsuccessful teams. Coaches and sports psychologists are encouraged to promote both social and task cohesion and collective efficacy to enhance team performance.

Strengthening the bond and enhancing team performance

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 182-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luo Lu ◽  
Hsueh-Liang Fan
Keyword(s):  
Team Performance ◽  
Interpersonal Relationship ◽  
Team Cohesion ◽  
Relationship Development ◽  
Work Outcomes ◽  
Team Process ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Psychological Similarity

Purpose Using interpersonal relationship development as a metaphor for team process, the purpose of this paper is to explore critical psychological mechanisms transforming team inputs into successful work outcomes, at the individual level. Design/methodology/approach The participants in this study were full-time employees in Taiwan. The authors employed a two-phase design to examine the developmental aspect of, and the enhancer for the team process. Paper-based questionnaires were used to collect data. All the research constructs were assessed at the individual level, thus analysis was conducted at the same level. Findings The results from 338 Taiwanese employees revealed that perceived psychological similarity (i.e. value and attitudinal congruence, a team input) led to favorable work outcomes (i.e. job satisfaction and team performance) through the linking mechanism of team cohesion. Furthermore, team members’ trait emotional intelligence (EI) amplified the positive relationship between psychological similarity and team cohesion. Practical implications First, managers should purposefully assemble employees with similar values and interests to work together, giving the team a good start with the like minds. Second, the results indicated that trait EI as a key personal resource enhances the positive relationship between psychological similarity and team cohesion. Workplace learning interventions should be implemented to improve employees’ emotion management skills. Originality/value Adopting the interpersonal relationship development perspective to study team process, the findings have confirmed the important roles of perceived psychological similarity among members and individual’s EI for team functioning. The authors’ endeavor has demonstrated the value of solid theoretical basis and the benefit of an individual-level analysis in delineating the mediating processes that explain why certain inputs affect team effectiveness and viability.

scholarly journals Evolution of Homosexuality in the Human Males: Improved Mixed-Team Performance Hypothesis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maarten van Ginkel
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Mate Preferences ◽  
Team Cohesion ◽  
Male Homosexual ◽  
Efficient Performance ◽  
Homosexual Activity ◽  
And Performance ◽  
New Hypothesis

Male homosexual preference (MHP) is present in many human societies, making up a small but significant cohort. Because homosexual mate preferences are associated with lower fecundity, many evolutionary explanations have been advanced to account for the persistence of this trait. After reviewing a number of these hypotheses and finding room for additional explanations, we propose a new hypothesis that depends on the observed greater empathy and reduced hostility of men who express MHP. This gives them a central role in the performance of groups or teams (all male and mixed) where cooperation and intra-team coherence are at a premium. In this view, teams that contain men with MHP will outcompete teams without such men, other variables being similar. The links between personality traits and team performance do not require homosexual activity within the group. The hypothesis is supported by observations of the personality traits associated with MHP, such as increased agreeableness, which is linked to the literature on team cohesion and performance in sports and other kinds of teams and groups. This novel hypothesis could be examined through direct study of team performance. The proposed hypothesis may also have relevance to better performance among the diverse teams whose efficient performance is so important in modern society.

Two sides of the same coin: Exploring how the bright and dark sides of team cohesion can influence sport team performance

2021 ◽  
pp. 174795412110425
Author(s):  
Sanghyun Park ◽  
Seungmo Kim ◽  
Marshall J Magnusen
Keyword(s):  
Team Performance ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Team Cohesion ◽  
Quadratic Model ◽  
Density Level ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Sport Team ◽  
School Network ◽  
And Performance

The purpose of this study was to analyze the potential positive and negative effects of team cohesion on team performance in a sport organization. Unbalanced panel data of 10 teams for the past 22 years (1997 season through the 2017–2018 season) from the Korean Basketball League were collected. A social network analysis approach was employed to measure network density as a proxy variable to measure team cohesion. The panel analysis results indicated team cohesion was shown to have a positive influence on team performance in the linear model as well as a negative influence on team performance in the quadratic model. The interaction effect of manager-player density did not influence team performance. In this study, the pattern of the relationship between team cohesion and performance was an inverted U-shape. Summarily, the density of a player’s school network could negatively influence team performance when it exceeds an optimal density level.

Effects of Team Personality Composition on Member Performance: A Multilevel Perspective

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 316-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew S. Prewett ◽  
Matthew I. Brown ◽  
Ashita Goswami ◽  
Neil D. Christiansen
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Hierarchical Linear Modeling ◽  
Emotional Stability ◽  
Linear Modeling ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Level Elevation ◽  
Team Personality ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Main Effects

Personality traits are often theorized to affect team performance by predisposing members to perform individual-level behaviors. Yet, member personality traits may also affect team performance by creating contextual influences on member behaviors. As such, the purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of team personality composition on individual-level performance using hierarchical linear modeling. A range of effects for team-level elevation were observed, but few effects emerged for team-level heterogeneity. Main effects from elevation in Extraversion and Openness to Experience were consistently observed across analyses. The main effects from team elevation in Conscientiousness and Agreeableness, however, were only observed prior to controlling for individual-level trait scores or when using a group-mean centering method for individual-level trait scores. In addition, elevation in Conscientiousness and heterogeneity in Emotional Stability moderated the relationships between individual trait scores and performance, such that individual-level relations were stronger when team elevation was higher (Conscientiousness) and heterogeneity was lower (Emotional Stability). These findings provide evidence that team member personality can influence performance through contextual phenomena.

GONADOTROPHIN PATTERNS IN MALE AND FEMALE RATS:

1968 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 600-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Boyd ◽  
Donald C. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Ascorbic Acid ◽  
Testosterone Propionate ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Female Rat ◽  
Feedback Effects ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Prostate Weight ◽  
Male And Female Rats ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Normal Males

ABSTRACT The effects of various doses of testosterone propionate (TP) upon the release of luteinizing hormone (LH or ICSH) from the hypophysis of a gonadectomized male or female rat were compared. Prostate weight in hypophysectomized male parabiotic partners was used to evaluate the quantity of circulating LH. Hypophyseal LH was measured by the ovarian ascorbic acid depletion method. Males castrated when 45 days old secreted significantly more LH and had three times the amount of pituitary LH as ovariectomized females. Administration of 25 μg TP daily reduced the amount of LH in the plasma, and increased the amount in the pituitary gland, in both sexes. Treatment with 50 μg caused a further reduction in plasma LH in males, but not in females, while pituitary levels in both were equal to that of their respective controls. LH fell to the same low level in partners of males or females receiving 100 μg TP. When gonadectomized at 39 days, males and females had the same amount of plasma LH, but males had more stored hormone. Pituitary levels were unchanged from controls following treatment with 12.5, 25 or 50 μg TP daily, but plasma values dropped an equal amount in both sexes with the latter two doses. Androgenized males or females, gonadectomized when 39 days old, were very sensitive to the effects of TP and plasma LH was significantly reduced with 12.5 μg daily. Pituitary LH in androgenized males was higher than that of normal males but was reduced to normal by small amounts of TP. The amount of stored LH in androgenized females was not different from that of normal females and it was unchanged by any dose of TP tested. Results are consistent with the conclusion that the male hypothalamic-hypophyseal axis is at least as sensitive as the female axis to the negative feedback effects of TP. Androgenization increases the sensitivity to TP in both males and females.

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