The Upward Spirals in Team Processes: Examining Dynamic Positivity in Problem Solving Teams

Abstract

Positivity at workplace has been heralded to produce individual, social and organizational benefits. Although we know more about how positivity “broadens” and “builds” within individuals, little research has explicitly studied how positivity naturally occur and dynamically unfolds in the flow of team interactions. This study aims to address these research gaps by integrating existing knowledge on team processes with the notions of emotional cycles and “energy-in-conversation.” We observed meeting interactions of 43 self-managed frontline technician teams and analyzing a sample of 43,139 coded individual utterances from these teams. Using statistical discourse analysis (SDA) which incorporates multilevel models, we found that early positive and solution-focused interactions can send the teams down a path of eliciting more “upward spirals.” We also found that speaker switches could add more positivity to team interactions directly, as well as by strengthening the positive effects of early positive and solution-focused interactions on subsequent positivity occurring in teams. Additionally and importantly, we found that positivity has positive implications for team performance. We discuss both theoretical and managerial implications of our findings.