Capturing Group Dynamics through Retrospective Team Events and Affect Mapping: Introducing R-TEAM

Abstract

While team scholars increasingly view small groups or teams as dynamic entities, capturing team processes and/or patterns over time remains cumbersome. Methodologically, team research ‘in the wild’ typically involves (cross-sectional) questionnaires but they are rarely used in combination with interviews and naked-eye observations. Given the inherent limitations of just using questionnaires for examining complex team dynamics, different longitudinal data-collection approaches are warranted. The Retrospective Team Events and Affect Mapping (R-TEAM) method, presented and illustrated here, uniquely blends elements of the focus group method; life story interview; the critical incidents technique; and visual elicitation. The R-TEAM method entails: 1) an intake; 2) a short questionnaire; 3) selecting team representatives; 4) a group interview with those team representatives; plus 5) presenting the results to all the other group members in order validate them. Compared to other available methods for longitudinal team-level studies, R-TEAM interviewing is less time intensive and can even curb researcher bias, making it eminently fitting for exploratory group-dynamics research. The R-TEAM method is also suitable for abductive, action, or social-constructive type of research. R-TEAM may thus enable scholars to directly engage with groups in organizations and facilitate team learning while advancing various academic theories on (small) group dynamics.