Mirror, Mirror: Guided Storytelling and Team Reflexivity’s Influence on Team Mental Models

2017 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 267-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Tesler ◽  
Susan Mohammed ◽  
Katherine Hamilton ◽  
Vincent Mancuso ◽  
Michael McNeese
Keyword(s):  
Team Performance ◽  
Mental Model ◽  
Substantial Evidence ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Team Mental Models ◽  
Team Mental Model ◽  
Model Similarity ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Mirror Mirror ◽  
Methodological Ground

Because substantial evidence supports team mental model similarity as a positive predictor of team performance, it is important that we help team members to develop a shared understanding of relevant team content. The current study extended the list of team mental model antecedents to include guided storytelling as an effective team intervention. In the first known empirical investigation of planned story usage in teams, we broke new methodological ground by pioneering a team intervention to proactively harness the benefits of narrative. Results revealed that the combination of presenting important information in story format and giving members time to reflect upon their strategies had a positive effect on team mental model similarity. In addition, the positive indirect effect of storytelling on team performance via team mental model similarity was stronger when guided team reflexivity was present than absent. These findings provide encouraging evidence for the continued examination of storytelling and reflexivity in teams.

scholarly journals The congruence of mental models in entrepreneurial teams – implications for performance and satisfaction in teams operating in an emerging economy

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paweł Ziemiański ◽  
Katarzyna Stankiewicz ◽  
Michał T. Tomczak ◽  
Beata Krawczyk-Bryłka
Keyword(s):  
Mental Models ◽  
Mental Model ◽  
Emerging Economy ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Team Mental Models ◽  
Entrepreneurial Teams ◽  
Team Mental Model

Purpose The paper aims to explore the relationship between the congruence of mental models held by the members of entrepreneurial teams operating in an emerging economy (Poland) and entrepreneurial outcomes (performance and satisfaction). Design/methodology/approach The data obtained from 18 nascent and 20 established entrepreneurial teams was analysed to answer hypotheses. The research was quantitative and was conducted using an online questionnaire. Data was collected from each of the teams at two stages. Members of entrepreneurial teams were surveyed independently, which allowed measuring the congruence of their mental models pertaining to running a venture. Findings Findings reveal that team members’ mental model congruence is significantly related to financial performance and members’ satisfaction in the case of established entrepreneurial teams. However, in the case of nascent teams, there is no relationship between analysed variables. Practical implications Implications for theory and practice are offered with a special emphasis on entrepreneurship education. The concept of team mental model congruence is proposed to be included in training of nascent entrepreneurial teams, experienced companies and students. Originality/value The concept of team mental models investigated by the authors has been underexplored in entrepreneurship research. Results indicate that at least in some entrepreneurial teams, team mental models’ congruence is related to obtained outcomes. The paper proposes that principles of effectuation and causation can serve as the lens through which the mental model pertaining to running a venture can be analysed. It allows expanding studies on the congruence of team mental models in entrepreneurial teams beyond the strategic consensus.

How teams perform under emergent and dynamic situations: the roles of mental models and backup behaviors

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zikai Zhou ◽  
Pilar Pazos
Keyword(s):  
Mental Models ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Dynamic Environment ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Mediation Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Team Mental Models ◽  
Theoretical Support ◽  
Task Requirements

Purpose The purpose of this study is to evaluate the roles of team mental models (TMMs) and backup behaviors for teams operating under emergent and dynamic situations. Specifically, the authors used a biased-corrected bootstrapping approach to assess the mediation effects of backup behaviors between the similarity of TMMs and team performance. Design/methodology/approach TMMs are a representation of the common understanding and beliefs in terms of task requirements or teamwork skills among different team members. It has wide implementations in various teams that are required to adapt quickly to an emergent and dynamic environment. The construct of TMMs has been studied extensively in previous literature, indicating a strong relationship between TMMs and team performance. However, how TMMs affect team performance under emergent and dynamic situations is only partially understood. Findings The findings of this study suggest that the similarity of task-focused mental models positively affects team performance through the mediation effects of backup behaviors. In contrast, the similarity of team-focused mental models does not positively affect backup behaviors and team performance. Originality/value This study contributes to the TMMs literature by investigating how teams perform in an emergent and dynamic environment. It not only provides theoretical support to the similarity of TMMs–backup behaviors–team performance relationships but has important implications in terms of team training and decision-making for teams operating under such conditions.

scholarly journals The Effects of Team Mental Model Complexity on Team Information Search and Performance Trajectories

2021 ◽  
pp. 105960112110232
Author(s):  
Sjir Uitdewilligen ◽  
Mary J. Waller ◽  
Robert A. Roe ◽  
Peter Bollen
Keyword(s):  
Information Search ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
Mental Model ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Model Complexity ◽  
Complex Environments ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Team Mental Model ◽  
Model Similarity ◽  
Over Time

Drawing on the concept of requisite complexity, we propose that mental model complexity is crucial for teams to thrive in dynamic complex environments. Using a longitudinal research design, we examined the influence of team mental model complexity on team information search and performance trajectories in a sample of 64 teams competing in a business strategy simulation over time. We found that team information search positively influences performance growth over time. More specifically, and consistent with requisite complexity, we found that mental model complexity positively influences both performance growth and information search over time, above and beyond the effects of mental model similarity and accuracy.

Team mental model characteristics and performance in a simulation experiment

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 (8) ◽  
pp. 899-924 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Yang ◽  
V.K. Narayanan ◽  
Yamuna Baburaj ◽  
Srinivasan Swaminathan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Models ◽  
Performance Feedback ◽  
Mental Model ◽  
Simulation Experiment ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Mental Models ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Team Mental Model ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This paper aims to examine the relationship between the characteristics of strategic decision-making team’s mental model and its performance. The authors propose that the relationship between mental models and performance is two-way, rather than one-way. Thus, performance feedback should, in turn, influence strategic behavior and future performance by either triggering or hindering the learning process. Design/methodology/approach The authors conduct the research in the setting of a simulation experiment. A longitudinal data set was collected from 36 teams functioning as strategic decision makers over three periods. Findings This study provides support for the positive impacts of both the complexity and centrality of a team’s mental model on its performance. The authors also find that positive performance feedback reduces changes in complexity and centrality of team mental models due to cognitive inertia. Originality/value The study contributes to the literature by investigating the specific mechanisms that underlie mental model evolution. Different from the existing studies on team mental models that mainly focus on similarity of these shared cognitive structures, this study examines another two characteristics of team mental model, complexity and centrality, that are more relevant to the strategic decision-making process but has not been extensively studied in the team literature. In addition, this study reveals that performance feedback has different effects on team mental models depending on the referents – past performance or social comparison – which advances the understanding of the learning effects of performance feedback.

scholarly journals Sharedness of team mental models in the course of design-related interaction between architects and clients

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hernan Casakin ◽  
Petra Badke-Schaub
Keyword(s):  
Mental Models ◽  
Mental Model ◽  
Information Exchange ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Design Team ◽  
Concept Generation ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Design Activities ◽  
Team Mental Model ◽  
The Individual

This study deals with the role of mental models in the coordination of team activities during design problem-solving. The work centers on the sharedness of mental models in a design team setting, mainly on the interaction between an architect and two clients. A major goal is to gain insight into how modifications in mental models affect coordination, and how sharedness develops through the process. Our focus is to explore, through a case study, the individual contributions of the architect and the clients to coordination of the work process, and how sharedness of the development of the team mental model evolves in the early stage of concept generation. Our claim is that work teams develop a certain degree of sharedness of the mental models of individual team members during information exchange. This team mental model can be insufficient or even wrong, but as long as the team members feel agreement in the team, they coordinate their work on that basis. Thus, sharedness of mental models is believed to be a powerful team asset, especially when it is reached in the earlier phases of the design process. Our findings suggest that in order to attain sharedness among design team members, design activities related to the task mental model should be encouraged, specifically the generation of new ideas and the analysis of solutions. Implications for practice and education are suggested.

Team Member Subjective Communication in Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Teams

2018 ◽  
Vol 93 (5) ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus C. Arnold ◽  
R. Lynn Hannan ◽  
Ivo D. Tafkov
Keyword(s):  
Team Performance ◽  
Team Member ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Team Composition ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Behavioral Theories ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Heterogeneous Teams

ABSTRACT This study investigates whether subjective communication from team members to a manager responsible for allocating performance-based bonuses increases team performance and whether the efficacy of such communication is reduced in heterogeneous teams. We draw on both economic and behavioral theories to predict that communication content, even though subjective, provides information that enables the manager to allocate bonuses so as to enhance the relation between individuals' contributions and rewards, thereby increasing individuals' effort and team performance. However, we also predict that the positive effect of team member subjective communication is more muted when team members' abilities are heterogeneous compared to homogeneous. We test these predictions via an experiment. Consistent with our predictions, team member subjective communication has a positive effect on team performance, and the positive effect is more muted for heterogeneous teams. Results of our study contribute to both theory and practice by enhancing our understanding of the role of subjective communication from team members to team managers in motivating effort in teams and, particularly, how its efficacy is affected by team composition. Data Availability: Data are available from the authors upon request.

Building team effectiveness through adaptation: Team knowledge and implicit and explicit coordination

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 71-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramón Rico ◽  
Cristina B. Gibson ◽  
Miriam Sánchez-Manzanares ◽  
Mark A. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Team Performance ◽  
Mental Model ◽  
Adaptive Response ◽  
Team Effectiveness ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Team Adaptation ◽  
Team Mental Model ◽  
Implicit And Explicit ◽  
Implicit Coordination ◽  
Action Phases

We develop a theory of team adaptation that centers on team knowledge structures and coordination processes. Specifically, we explain that when a team’s task changes, there may be a disruption in the extent to which their team mental model (TMM) fits the current situation. Whether this is the case is likely to depend on team compositional factors, emergent states, and structural characteristics of the team. When there is a lack of correspondence between the TMM and the situation, this then requires a shift in the extent to which the team uses implicit or explicit coordination processes. We also explain that the team performance phase matters, such that during action phases, a prevalence of implicit coordination relative to explicit coordination results in greater effectiveness; during a transition phase, the opposite is likely. In this way, we address central questions in the field: what types of task changes require team adaptive response, what happens during the adaptation process, and how this influences team effectiveness over time.

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