A process model of team emotion regulation: An expansion of Gross' individual ER model

Abstract

Coordination is at the heart of effective teamwork and contributes to shared mental models and mutual trust of team members (Salas, Sims, & Burke, 2005). However, successful coordination does not always occur. This study examines the prerequisites for effective coordination and identifies the role of socially shared emotion regulation (SSER; Gross, 2015) in the management of challenges that hinder the development of coordination. We examined 48 international participants who interacted in 16 teams of two to five in a two-day competitive and time-sensitive hackathon. A qualitative approach was used to identify the types of SSER strategies teams applied to overcome challenges that surfaced during the socio-emotionally challenging context. Findings resulted in a process model of “team emotion regulation” that expands Gross's (1998) individual emotion regulation model. These findings have implications for enhancing performance in teams with coordination breakdowns by focusing on SSER strategies that can lead to the resolutions of challenges in complex collaborative settings.