The Role of Functional Diversity, Collective Team Identification, and Task Cohesion in Influencing Innovation Speed

This article opens up the black box of innovation and examines the relationship between functional diversity in software teams and the often neglected dimension of innovation – speed, over the two phases of innovation: creativity and idea implementation. By combining information processing view and social identity theory, the authors hypothesize that when collective team identification is low, functional diversity positively affects the time spent in the creativity phase; however, when collective team identification is high, this relationship is inverted U-shaped. When task cohesion is high, functional diversity negatively affects the time spent in the idea implementation phase; however, when task cohesion is low, this relationship is U-shaped. Results from 96 IT software-teams confirmed the authors' hypotheses. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

The Association between Endogenous Hair Steroid Hormones and Social Environmental Factors in a Group of Conscripts during Basic Military Training

This study aimed to analyse the association between endogenous hair steroid hormones as reliable biological indicators of an individual’s stress level and the social environmental factors experienced during military training that are manifested at the beginning of compulsory military service. Hair steroid hormone concentrations—cortisol, cortisone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and testosterone—in a group of 185 conscripts were measured using the ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method. Six subjective social environmental factors in the military—attitude towards the military and military service, adaptation to the military environment, team, task, and norm cohesion, as well as psychological (un)safety in the group—were evaluated using military-specific research questionnaires. Weak but significant negative correlations were identified between cortisol and adaptation (r = −0.176, p < 0.05), attitude (r = −0.147, p < 0.05) as well as between testosterone and task cohesion (r = −0.230, p < 0.01) levels. Additionally, a multiple forward stepwise regression analysis highlighted that cortisone variation might be partially explained by task cohesion; the DHEA—determined by psychological (un)safety in the group, attitude towards the military and military service, and norm cohesion; and the testosterone—determined by task cohesion and adaptation to the new military environment. The results of this study suggest that subjective measures of social factors can be used to predict hair steroid hormone levels as objective measures of the chronic stress perceived by conscripts during their basic military training.

A Study on the Sustainable Structural Relations between Social Exchange Relationship Characteristics and Social Contagion Effect in Beauty-Related One-Person Media

This study examined how members of beauty-related one-person media networks build sustainable ties with other members through various exchange activities and diffuse information based on the social contagion effect. Accordingly, social exchange relationship characteristics of beauty-related one-person media were specified and structural relations through which these characteristics affect group cohesiveness, conformity-based collective intelligence, and fad-like behavior were identified. A sample of 529 users with experience of consuming information on beauty-related one-person media was selected, and research hypotheses were tested via reliability testing, validity testing, measurement model analysis, and path analysis using SPSS ver. 23.0 and AMOS ver. 23.0. First, the path analysis between social exchange relationship characteristics of beauty-related one-person media and group cohesiveness revealed that relational characteristics significantly affected social cohesion, but situational characteristics and personal characteristics did not. Additionally, situational characteristics and personal characteristics significantly affected task cohesion, but relational characteristics did not. Second, the path analysis between group cohesiveness (social cohesion, task cohesion) and conformity-based collective intelligence in beauty-related one-person media revealed that social cohesion and task cohesion significantly affected conformity-based collective intelligence. Third, the path analysis between conformity-based collective intelligence and fad-like behavior in beauty-related one-person media clarified that conformity-based collective intelligence significantly affected fad-like behavior.

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

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.

Teamwork: A Systematic Review of Implications From Psychosocial Constructs for Research and Practice in the Performance of Ultimate Frisbee Games

Introduction: Ultimate Frisbee (UF) is a non-contact, challenging, and self-promoted team sport. Some factors such as the game environment and rules seem to influence athletes' behavior. Goals: Provide a robust systematic review (SR) of the psychological domains associated with UF.Methods: A SR according to Cochrane guidelines was completed. A reproducible search strategy was conducted by two independent reviewers in thirteen online databases: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, SCOPUS, B-On, SportDiscus, Scielo; APA PsycINFO, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences; Academic Search Complete; Medline (PubMed); ERIC; Google Scholar; Open Acess Thesis and Dissertations. The search occurred from 1st to 30th June 2020, and there were no limitations regarding the year of publication. Original papers that contained relevant data regarding psychological domains in the context of UF in English, Portuguese and Spanish were selected. The combination of the main terms “ultimate frisbee” and “sport psychology” was used in all databases. A total of 464 studies were identified and selected in the last phase of selection. After the Screening (n = 301) and Eligibility (n = 71) phases, a total of 30 potential papers were selected and classified. Finally, only four papers were qualified to be included in the final version of SR.Results: The psychological dimensions revealed in the present study were: leadership; basic psychological needs; behaviors; task cohesion and performance; intrateam communication; performance-avoidance goals; friendship goals; sportsmanship associated with goal-directed self-talk and self-regulated learning.Discussion: To our knowledge, this is the first SR about UF. In reviewing all the findings in the studies, there is evidence that UF can promote teamwork, task cohesion, leadership, and increase friendship-approach goals.Conclusion: The results revealed that group goals and promoting teamwork significantly predicted social cohesion and that teamwork and task cohesion was mediated by communication. UF is characterized by communication between all players, whether they are from the same team or the opposing team. In summary, the current study revealed real-time information about the game and its rules. This is important because UF is one of the few team sports worldwide that are self-referred by participants.Systematic Review Registration:https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=169294, identifier: CRD42020169294.

Comparing Virtual and Face-to-Face Team Collaboration: Insights From an Agent-Based Simulation

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the acceptance of virtual team collaboration as a replacement for face-to-face collaboration. Unlike face-to-face collaboration, virtual collaboration has different factors like technology mediation influencing communication that affects a team’s processes. However, there is a lack of rigorous research that assesses the impact of virtual teaming on the engineering design process. Therefore, the current study investigates the effect of virtual team collaboration on design outcomes by means of the MILANO (Model of Influence, Learning, and Norms in Organizations) framework. To tailor MILANO for virtual collaboration, this paper first presents an empirical study of human design teams, that shows how the model parameters for face-to-face collaboration (like self-efficacy, perceived influencers, perceived degree of influence, trust and familiarity) must be modified. The empirical study also shows the positive impact of effective communication on conflict resolution, task cohesion and the model parameters listed above. The simulation results for both virtual and face-to-face collaboration show how design outcomes differ with collaboration mode.

A Cross-Cultural Adaptation of the Collective Efficacy Questionnaire for Sports (CEQS): Validity Evidence for a Brazilian Version

This three-part study aimed to translate, cross-culturally adapt, and validate the Collective Efficacy Questionnaire for Sports (CEQS) for Brazilian athletes. In Study 1, six translators and six specialists developed a Portuguese version of the CEQS (the CEQS-B), and 10 experts and 10 sports participants provided content validity evidence based on test content. In Study 2, 553 athletes completed the CEQS-B, and we provided evidence of construct and convergent validity for the test’s internal structure through factor analysis and of reliability evidence based on the instrument’s internal consistency and temporal stability. In Study 3, 79 athletes completed both the new CEQS-B and the Group Cohesion Questionnaire, and we provided evidence of concurrent validity for the CEQS-B, based on its relationship to other variables, with specific strong correlations between team task cohesion and collective efficacy among these participants. Overall, the results of this study support the use of the CEQS-B by researchers and professionals wishing to assess various sport athletes’ self-perceived collective efficacy.

Team cohesion: the impact of team design and technical factors

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of team boundedness, and formal coordination on task and social cohesion and the moderating effect of organization tenure diversity. Design/methodology/approach Data was gathered from the responses of 398 team members and leaders working in 111 software development teams to a questionnaire survey. The hypotheses were all tested using structural equation modelling. Findings The results show team boundedness and formal coordination have positive and significant associations with task and social cohesion. Formal coordination is a stronger positive predictor for task than social cohesion. Organization tenure has a greater negative effect on social cohesion than task cohesion and moderates the relationship between formal coordination and task cohesion. Practical implications Therefore, for organizations to optimize team cohesion the impact of antecedent variables on social and task cohesion should be taken into considering in planning strategies for improvement. Originality/value This paper has an original approach by adding to the literature through an examination of the antecedent variables of task and social cohesion which are two key components of team cohesion.

A united front: Coach and teammate motivational climate and team cohesion among female adolescent athletes

Based on theory and research on athlete motivation and sport cohesion, this study examined the concurrent association of perceived coach and peer motivational climates with team cohesion among female adolescent athletes. Participants ( N = 235) included 14- to 18-year-old competitive volleyball players who completed self-report measures of motivational climates and team cohesion in the latter part of the season. Canonical correlation analysis revealed that all coach and peer task-involving dimensions were positively related, and peer intra-team conflict (ego-involving dimension) was negatively related, to team cohesion. Task-involving dimensions of coach cooperative learning and peer effort and relatedness support contributed most strongly to the relationship as did task cohesion. Multiple regression analyses showed that elements of both coach and peer climates were related to task and social cohesion. Findings extend past research by simultaneously examining coaches and peers as social sources of team cohesion among female adolescent athletes. Specific strategies are offered for how coaches can enhance team cohesiveness by directly shaping a task-involving climate, minimizing an ego-involving climate, and fostering a teammate task-involving climate that promotes positive peer interactions and relationships.