A New Multiteam System (MTS) Effectiveness Model

John Turner,Nigel Thurlow,Zain Ali,Rose Baker

doi:10.3390/systems8020012

Abstract

Team effectiveness models in the literature are primarily concentrated on traditional teams, with few involving the multiteam system (MTS) level of analysis in the model. Teams achieve their goals by managing both teamwork (e.g., interpersonal, effective, motivational, cognitive) and taskwork (e.g., strategy, goal setting, project management) activities. When MTSs are involved, multiple teams manage their own teamwork and taskwork activities, while leadership must be in place to coordinate these activities within and between teams in order to achieve the organization’s goal (the MTS’s goal). This research study conducted a systematic review of current team effectiveness frameworks and models. A narrative-based method for theorizing was utilized to develop a new MTS team effectiveness framework. This research contributes to the MTS literature by providing a new formula for team effectiveness at both the team level (team effectiveness formula) and the MTS level (MTS team effectiveness formula). This research aids managers, practitioners, and researchers by providing a tool that accounts for all levels and temporal processes.

Highlights

Team effectiveness takes on many meanings in the literature and has often been mistaken to be equated with team performance [1]
The current study addresses these calls by identifying the components of team effectiveness for teams and for multiteam system (MTS) from the literature, while providing a basic team effectiveness formula for both individual teams and for MTSs
This study provides a framework for team effectiveness characteristics at each level of analysis

Summary

Introduction

Team effectiveness takes on many meanings in the literature and has often been mistaken to be equated with team performance [1]. There is no standard definition or measure for team effectiveness in the literature [1]. Team effectiveness is portrayed as a function of “task, group, and organization design factors, environmental factors, internal processes, external processes, and group psychosocial traits” [4] and should be confined to team performance outcome measures. Team performance relates to what teams do, relating to both behavioral and traditional outcome measures that are judged by others [2]. 95), whereas traditional performance measures view a team’s outcome by some predetermined standard, typically in the form of some form of tangible output or product (e.g., productivity, quality, quantity, time) [5]. Team effectiveness encompasses a team’s outcome (behavioral and performance-related measures) as well as the interactions (teamwork) and processes (teamwork and taskwork) used to produce the outcome

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