Team-level Factors Research Articles

Good team players? The impact of team member knowledge, skills and abilities on sourcing teamwork and sourcing task-work effectiveness

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to enhance understanding of the use of sourcing teams (STs) by organisations in their procurement and supply chain management. The paper achieves this by exploring, within the context of the supply chain directorate of a global aerospace manufacturing company (GAMC), both the relationship between sourcing teamwork effectiveness (TE) and sourcing task-work effectiveness (TA) and the relationship between individual team member knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) and TE.Design/methodology/approachThe authors develop a theoretical model positing positive links between both KSAs and TE and TE and TA. The model is empirically validated using partial least squares structural equation modelling in a survey of 108 ST members from a GAMC.FindingsThe authors identify that, within GAMC, four of five KSAs drive TE and further discover the direct effects of TE on improved TA. Additionally, the authors observe within GAMC the indirect effects of KSAs on TA cascading through TE.Research limitations/implicationsLimitations include the use of a single firm and self-report measures for data collection. In spite of this, the paper has numerous research implications. Previous research on STs has combined factors related to TE and TA. In this paper, TE and TA were disaggregated, and the relationships between them were explored. The relationships were found to be positive within GAMC, a finding that strengthens the evidence base supporting the use of STs by organisations in their procurement and supply chain management. In addition, the paper also strengthened the evidence base regarding the importance of KSAs to TE, which complements existing research highlighting the importance of team-level factors and individual technical attributes.Practical implicationsThe findings from GAMC suggest that executives/managers should take an individual as well as a team-level perspective when developing STs and should consider KSAs as well as technical knowledge when judging individuals’ suitability for inclusion within an ST. There are established KSA tests in the literature that could be used by managers for this task. The findings also inform executives/managers that TE matters for TA and needs attention and investment, especially where sourcing tasks concern high-value areas and/or critical incidents within supply chains.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to explore the relationship between TE and TA. Establishing that this relationship is a positive one provides critically important evidence regarding the efficacy of STs, which are widely used within procurement and supply chain management. It is also a rare study looking at TE from the perspective of individual team member KSAs, with further positive relationships revealed. Both findings enhance what is a very limited literature on a widely used practice within procurement and supply chain management.

Planning Inclusive Research: A Comparison of Two Inclusive Dissertation Research Projects

Abstract Planning inclusive research should center meaningful engagement of co-researchers with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities to address issues that are important to their communities. There are a variety of approaches to planning research projects consistent with the guiding principles of inclusive research. We describe components of planning inclusive research by comparing two inclusive dissertation research projects. We organize our comparison into five sections: (1) initiating the projects, (2) team member characteristics and roles, (3) building and sustaining relationships, (4) accessibility in the research process, and (5) outcomes. We then discuss how contextual and team-level factors influence the process of planning inclusive research.

The influence of communication climate, organizational identification, and burnout on real estate agents’ turnover intention

This study investigated the factors that affect the turnover intention of real estate agents by considering the impact of individual-level factors such as job stress, burnout, and salary level and team-level factors such as communication climate and organizational recognition. The parameters were evaluated using a hierarchical linear moderated mediation model. The survey subjects were real estate agents in Tainan City. A total of 870 questionnaires were distributed to 87 real estate agencies, and 615 questionnaires from 77 branches were collected. The questionnaires from four branches were excluded, as fewer than two questionnaires were collected, and an additional 57 questionnaires with missing responses were also excluded. A total of 558 questionnaires from 73 branches were included in the study. The overall response rate of questionnaires was 64.1%. The results indicated that the greater a real estate agent’s awareness of the communication climate, the higher the likelihood of the real estate agent receiving recognition from their organization, while a higher salary level indicated a lower level of turnover intention. A greater understanding of job stress indicated a higher risk of burnout. The communication climate had an impact on burnout and turnover intention, while organizational recognition mediated the impact of communication climate as it pertained to turnover intention. The results showed that the level of burnout mediated the impact of job stress and turnover intention.

리더십발휘동기의 선행요인

Recently, a social trend termed “leadership phobia”, which refers to a phenomenon characterized by avoiding leadership roles, has received coverage in South Korea. This trend, indicating a decreased motivation to lead, calls for further studies on the antecedents of motivation to lead. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study is to identify individual- and team-level factors that influence motivation to lead and test their main effects as well as interaction effects. Specifically, we focus on individual goal orientation and team individualism. In this context, we distinguish between three different types of goal orientation: learning goal orientation, performance prove goal orientation, and performance avoid goal orientation.
 We conducted a paper-and-pencil survey among 222 team members from 43 teams in a large company in South Korea and employed hierarchical linear modeling to test our hypotheses. Our findings revealed that both learning goal orientation and performance prove goal orientation positively influenced motivation to lead. Conversely, performance avoid goal orientation exhibited a negative association with motivation to lead. Interestingly, contrary to our initial prediction, team individualism did not demonstrate any significant main effect on motivation to lead.
 Among the cross-level interaction effects between the three types of goal orientation and team individualism, we found that the interaction between performance prove goal orientation and team individualism was statistically significant, aligning with our expectations. Specifically, for team members with a high level of performance prove goal orientation, team individualism had a detrimental effect on motivation to lead. Conversely, for team members with a low level of performance prove goal orientation, team individualism had a positive effect on motivation to lead.
 However, our hypothesis suggesting that learning goal orientation would amplify the negative impact of team individualism on motivation to lead was not supported. Surprisingly, learning goal orientation weakened the negative effect instead. On the other hand, the interaction between performance avoid goal orientation and team individualism did not yield any significant findings.
 These results have important theoretical and practical implications, which are discussed further in this study.

Towards a Multilevel Framework of Teamwork Processes Affecting Construction Safety Outcomes

The construction industry has one of the highest fatality and injury rates, highlighting the urgent need for research to reduce work-related injuries and fatalities. Given the complex nature of construction teams operating at different project levels, teamwork processes are crucial for ensuring construction safety. However, a comprehensive examination of teamwork processes concerning construction safety is lacking. Contemporary construction literature has a primary focus on a few key team-level factors. This study addresses this research gap by conducting a more holistic literature review, benchmarking knowledge from other industries, and proposing a framework specific to construction safety. The proposed framework integrates insights from team science and construction safety science, taking into consideration the industry’s complex team structure and dynamic nature. This study contributes to the improvement of safety outcomes in the construction industry by enhancing the understanding of teamwork processes’ impact on construction safety. The findings have practical implications for enhancing safety performance and reducing injuries and fatalities among construction workers.

The Impact of Team Mindfulness on Project Team Performance: The Moderating Role of Effective Team Leadership

The current study aims to investigate the consequences of team mindfulness in project-based organizations by proposing team cohesion as an underlying mechanism and effective team leadership as a boundary condition through which team mindfulness promotes project team performance. Data were collected through a time-lagged survey from Pakistani employees (N = 379). The data supported the proposed model revealing that team mindfulness enhances team cohesion among employees, which increases project team performance and effective team leadership moderates this relationship. This study has identified the team-level factors that can be used by project managers to increase project team performance.

Health care system factors influencing primary healthcare workers’ engagement in national cancer screening programs: a qualitative study

ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore factors across the environment, organisation and care team levels of the health care system that influence the engagement of primary healthcare workers (PHCWs) in Australia's national cancer screening programs. MethodsA cross‐sectional qualitative study involving semi‐structured interviews with PHCWs – general practitioners (n=10), practices nurses (n=10), and practice managers (n=10) from settings across Australia. Transcripts were analysed using the Framework Method. ResultsTwo environment‐level factors were found to influence several organisation and care team level factors. Firstly, the financial structure of primary health care, impacting on practitioner: time, practice culture, screening knowledge and opportunistic conversations. Secondly, the structure of screening programs had flow‐on effects for: access to patient screening records, recall and reminder systems, and sense of program ownership. ConclusionsEncouraging more effective PHCW engagement in the screening programs requires the consideration and mitigation of overarching financial and structural barriers. Up‐to‐date and easy‐to‐use recall and reminder systems, whole‐of‐practice approaches which optimise the role of each PHCW and the identification of a ‘champion’ to drive implementation should be considered. Implications for public healthThis study offers insights into what elements practice and practitioner targeted initiatives in Australia should incorporate, potentially leading to improved engagement of PHCWs and increased cancer screening participation rates.

Relationship between social support and repatriation intention of expatriates in international construction projects

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the influence of social support and the repatriation intention of expatriates in international constructions in the postpandemic era of COVID-19. Furthermore, test the mediation effect of team climate and individual resilience in this relationship.Design/methodology/approachA survey of 347 expatriates in international construction projects was conducted. A cross-level chain mediation model was employed to test the moderating effect of social support and repatriation intention. Then, statistical analysis with a bootstrap sample was used to test the mediation effect of the model.FindingsThe empirical results support that team climate, individual resilience and the chain mediating effect of team climate to individual resilience is significant among the influences of social support on repatriation intention. Social support can enhance the team climate of construction expatriates, promoting their resilience to reduce the repatriation intention further.Practical implicationsThis study provides guidelines for international construction enterprises and managers to decide when and which expatriates should return home and formulate a series of policies to support expatriates and maintain a good team climate.Originality/valueThis study contributes to expatriate management literature by establishing the relationship between social support and repatriation intention. It provides a better understanding of how team-level factors impact individual thought. It takes team climate as one of the protective factors affecting individual psychological resilience. Also it takes social support as the antecedents of team atmosphere in case of emergencies.

Love the star, love the team? The spillover effect of athlete sub brand to team brand advocacy in online brand communities

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the antecedents of brand passion and brand community commitment, namely, self-congruity and athlete attraction, as well as their effects on online brand advocacy in online brand communities.Design/methodology/approachThe sample comprises members of a Facebook football fan club brand community. An online survey measuring athlete-level factors, team-level factors and online brand advocacy provides data to test the conceptual framework using structural equation modeling with partial least squares (PLS-SEM).FindingsThe findings of this paper support the positive spillover effect from athlete subbrand to team brand advocacy, as self-congruity exerted positive effects on brand passion and brand community commitment, while athlete attraction influenced brand community commitment, leading to online brand advocacy.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings validate the dimensions of online brand advocacy and advance research on sports brand hierarchy in brand architecture by establishing the transference effect from athlete to the team brand.Practical implicationsTo effectively manage their brands online, brand managers need to pay attention to the powerful and multifaceted tool of online brand advocacy. Brand managers can capitalize on their active advocates by working closely with them to co-create uplifting and authentic brand stories that are worthwhile for sharing, especially in times of crisis.Originality/valueBuilding on the developmental trajectory of brand love and vicarious brand experience, the findings verify the directionality of the spillover effect and offer insights into the development of brand advocacy across different brand levels.

Quality of anthropometric data in India's National Family Health Survey: Disentangling interviewer and area effect using a cross-classified multilevel model

India has adopted a target-based approach to reduce the scourge of child malnourishment. Because the monitoring and evaluation required by this approach relies primarily on large-scale data, a data quality assessment is essential. As field teams are the primary mode of data collection in large-scale surveys, this study attempts to understand their contribution to variations in child anthropometric measures. This research can help disentangle the confounding effects of regions/districts and field teams on the quality of child anthropometric data. The anthropometric z-scores of 2,25,002 children below five years were obtained from the fourth round of India's National Family and Health Survey (NFHS-4), 2015–16. Unadjusted and adjusted standard deviations (SD) of the anthropometric measures were estimated to assess the variations in measurements. In addition, a cross-classified multilevel model (CCMM) approach was adopted to estimate the contribution of geographical regions/districts and teams to variations in anthropometric measures. The unadjusted SDs of the measures of stunting, wasting, and underweight were 1.7, 1.4, and 1.2, respectively. The SD of stunting was above the World Health Organisation threshold (0.8–1.2), as well as the Demographic and Health Survey mark. After adjusting for team-level characteristics, the SDs of all three measures reduced marginally, indicating that team-level workload had a marginal but significant role in explaining the variations in anthropometric z-scores. The CCMM showed that the maximum contribution to variations in anthropometric z-scores came from community-level (Primary Sampling Unit (PSU)) characteristics. Team-level characteristics had a higher contribution to variations in anthropometric z-scores than district-level attributes. Variations in measurement were higher for child height than weight. The present study decomposes the effects of district- and team-level factors and highlights the nuances of introducing teams as a level of analysis in multilevel modelling. Population size, density, and terrain variations between PSUs should be considered when allocating field teams in large-scale surveys.

Network formation in organizational settings: Exploring the importance of local social processes and team-level contextual variables in small groups using bayesian hierarchical ERGMs

Statistical models for social networks, such as exponential random graphs (ERGMs), have increasingly been used by organizational scholars to study the social interactions inside organizations, departments, and teams. While such models have been successful in providing insights about the local processes that underlie these interactions (such as homophily, reciprocity or transitivity), an additional interesting avenue for research focuses on the role of group-level contextual variables (such as the climate or composition of a team or organization) when considering a multitude of teams or organizations. In this paper we show how, in a team context, integrating team-level factors in a multilevel framework (i.e., a Bayesian hierarchical ERGM) enables us to answer questions about: 1) how team-level contextual factors might provide alternative explanations for the emergence of intra-team ties, and 2) whether any variation in local tendencies between teams might be dependent on such team-level variables (i.e., cross-level interactions). Using data collected among 103 MBA students who were grouped into 18 teams of 5–7 members to work on a project, we study the impact of members’ expertise and perceived psychological safety on advice seeking behavior. At a local level, we focus on the effect of these nodal attributes for homophily and differences in advice seeking and giving, while at the team level we incorporate the average expertise and the team’s psychological safety climate. Our results show that expert members are more likely to be the recipient of advice ties, but also that this effect is more pronounced in teams where the overall level of expertise is high. For psychological safety, we find that a high psychological safety climate impacts the advice relations among all members in the group, not solely those who themselves perceive a high level of psychological safety, suggesting that the team climate has an impact on all its members. This illustrates how a Bayesian hierarchical ERGM allows us to obtain relevant results even when studying small-sized groups.

Who Learns and What They Learn: Evidence from an Action-Based Entrepreneurship Training Program

Scholars highlight that learning outcomes of entrepreneurship training might not be homogeneous for all participants and call for studies on contextual factors that might affect such outcomes. We respond to the call and explore the role of two contextual factors, team dynamics and the learning environment, on two important learning outcomes that are precursors of entrepreneurial engagement – entrepreneurial readiness and knowledge readiness. Drawing from literature on psychological safety and status differences, we hypothesize the differences in learning outcomes of graduate students and faculty members who participated in action-based technology entrepreneurship program as part of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) I-Corps program. The findings suggest that positive team dynamics increase entrepreneurial readiness for both types of trainees, but increases knowledge readiness of only graduate students, suggesting differential importance of team-level factors. The findings for learning environment are more complex. While a negative learning environment was not significantly associated with entrepreneurial or knowledge readiness for either trainee type, a positive learning environment was a significant predictor of both entrepreneurial and knowledge readiness for faculty but was only a significant predictor for knowledge readiness among graduate students. This study contributes to the entrepreneurship training literature by showing the impact of team and broader contextual level factors on training efficacy. The findings have implications for both academic and corporate trainers who design action-learning programs.

Do Multiple I-Deals in a Team Help or Hinder Team Outcomes? A Resource Scarcity Perspective

Idiosyncratic deals (i-deals) are individualized employment arrangements negotiated and agreed upon by individual employees and their organization. This study addresses an emerging conundrum in i-deals research—whether the prevalence of i-deals in teams helps or hinders team outcomes. Because teams in which i-deals are prevalent receive more resources and status, they may be more cohesive and engage in more supportive behaviors. On the other hand, because i-deals differentiate among team members, teams in which i-deals are prevalent may be less cohesive and less inclined to engage in OCB. To solve this puzzle, we draw from a resource scarcity perspective to posit that understanding intra-team i-deal dynamics requires taking into account both organizational-level (i.e., organizational i-deal scarcity) and team-level (i.e., team power structure) factors. Using data from 40 organizations, 166 teams, and 1016 employees, we disentangle the complex interplay among the prevalence of i-deals in a team, organizational i-deal scarcity, and intra-team power structure in predicting both team cohesion and intra-team OCB.

What factors facilitate interprofessional collaboration outcomes in interprofessional education? A multi-level perspective

ObjectivesInterprofessional education (IPE) harnesses the power of teams to facilitate collaborative learning across disciplines. However, prior research has not paid sufficient attention to the role of team-level factors on IPE outcomes, posing a major theoretical and methodological limitation. In response to this, using social interdependence theory (SIT), this study aimed to delineate the independent contributions of both team-level and student-level interprofessional attitudes (teamwork, roles, and responsibilities; patient-centeredness; and community-centeredness) in predicting IPE collaboration outcomes (goal achievement, team effectiveness, and team performance) employing multi-level analysis. MethodsTo test whether interprofessional attitudes at the team and student levels predict IPE collaboration outcomes, conducted multilevel modeling. We used the pretest and posttest data from 323 healthcare students in Hong Kong from Chinese medicine, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and social work programmes enrolled in the IPE Cancer module. ResultsAmong the interprofessional attitudes, “teamwork, roles, and responsibilities” was found to be the best predictor of IPE outcomes, both at the student and team levels. Students who recognized the benefits of shared learning had better goal achievement and team effectiveness. Furthermore, teams that emphasized shared learning also had better overall team performance. ConclusionsStudents' attitudes towards teamwork, roles, and responsibilities in interprofessional collaborative practice, both at the student and team levels, are important to attaining positive student- and team-level outcomes. The study contributes to the expansion of existing knowledge in medical education, theoretically, by adopting SIT as a lens through which collaborative learning in healthcare teams can be understood, and methodologically, by applying multi-level approaches and delineating important student- and team-level predictors of IPE outcomes.

Leader's Perception of Corporate Social Responsibility and Team Members' Psychological Well-Being: Mediating Effects of Value Congruence Climate and Pro-Social Behavior.

Previous research, that showed that corporate social responsibility (CSR) had positive effects on the corporate image and performance, has attracted much attention and resulted in an increasing number of follow-up studies. However, CSR-related activities are focused on their effect on external stakeholders, although they are social service activities geared towards internal and external stakeholders, thus showing a research gap regarding the effects of internal stakeholders on organizational effectiveness. Therefore, this study investigated the mediating effects of the value congruence climate and prosocial behavior among the team members in the relationship between leader’s CSR perception and team members’ psychological well-being, using a multilevel analysis of the relationship between the team and individual level factors. For the empirical analysis, 69 teams (334 employees) were sampled from 23 Korean small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Analyses revealed a positive effect of a leader’s CSR perception on the team members’ psychological well-being. Furthermore, a leader’s CSR perception had a positive effect on his/her team’s value congruence environment and team members’ prosocial behavior. The team’s value congruence environment and team members’ prosocial behavior were found to mediate the relationship between the leader’s CSR perception and team members’ psychological well-being. The relationships among these variables were investigated using a multilevel analysis model capable of simultaneous validation of team- and individual-level factors associated with team members’ psychological well-being. Future research directions were then discussed based on the theoretical and practical implications and limitations of the study results.

Individuals' Power Persistence in Teams: A Study Examining the Effects of Individuals' Competence, Uncooperative Behavior and Team Performance in the National Basketball Association.

This paper examined (a) the persistence of individuals’ power in teams and (b) the individual- and team-level factors influencing power maintenance and loss in the long-term (i.e., power dynamics). Specifically, and in line with the functional theory of power, we showed that individuals’ state of power in the past exerted a significant behavioral impact on their later state of power, hence, confirming the “power persistence” hypothesis. Furthermore, and in accordance with the conflict theory of power, we found that individuals’ competence positively influenced power above and beyond its persistence. We also showed that individuals’ uncooperative behavior and team performance had a negative and significant effect on individuals’ power above and beyond its persistence. Finally, we discussed the importance of individuals’ power dynamics for effectively managing power struggles in teams.

Outcomes of Organizational Trust: A Multi-Level Perspective and Meta-Analytic Examination

Recognizing that organizational trust is inherently multilevel, scholars have adopted a level-of-analysis perspective in studying this phenomenon. However, research has predominantly focused on cross-level effects of team-level factors, thereby neglecting factors residing at higher levels of analysis (e.g., societal) and alternative models integrating levels (e.g., multilevel and compositional models). Consistent with these limitations, scholars have converged around the need to address three unanswered levels-of-analysis questions: 1) Are relationships of trust with other variables homologous across levels of analysis? 2) How does societal-level culture shape lower-level relationships of trust with other variables? 3) How does trust consensus help clarify the way trust operates at the unit level? This paper aims to advance understanding of these issues through a meta-analytic examination. In line with our multilevel theorizing on homology, we find that trust-outcome relationships are different in magnitude across levels. Contrary to our situational strength prediction, our cross-level findings reveal that Cultural Tightness strengthens individual-level trust-outcome relationships. Finally, our compositional findings demonstrate that trust consensus promotes unit outcomes both directly and by moderating the impact of trust magnitude. Our study advances a multilevel understanding of trust and elaborates on current theories by revealing discontinuities in how trust operates and manifests across levels.

“I need to have a fulfilling job”: A qualitative study of surgeon well-being and professional fulfillment

BackgroundBurnout, often regarded as an individual failing, rather than a systemic one, negatively impacts quality of care, patient safety and healthcare costs. Focusing on improving well-being can help mitigate burnout. This study examined protective factors that promote well-being and professional fulfillment in surgeons. MethodsUsing a purposive sample, 32 semi-structured 30-60-min interviews were conducted with surgeons of varying sub-specialties and rank. Abductive exploratory analysis was used to code and interpret interview transcripts and to build a conceptual model of surgeon well-being. ResultsEmergent protective factors were placed into one of three levels of implementation: individual, team-level, and institutional (figure). Individual factors for well-being included autonomy and adequate time to pursue non-clinical endeavors. Team-level factors consisted of adaptability, boundaries, and cohesion. Institutional factors related to diversifying performance evaluations and celebrating and recognizing individual value and contributions. ConclusionsThe conceptual model developed from the results of this study highlights factors important to surgeons’ professional well-being. This model can be used to guide quality improvement efforts.

Let’s be frank: Individual and team-level predictors of improvement in student teamwork effectiveness following peer-evaluation feedback

This paper examines the individual and team-level predictors of improvement in student teamwork effectiveness following peer-evaluation (PE) feedback. The goal of this study is two-fold: first, to understand the differences in students' initial reactions to PE feedback, as well as their subsequent decisions and actions to improve; and second, to identify the team-level processes that contribute to improvements in students' teamwork effectiveness. The mixed-methods study design combines the benefits of qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. The sample consists of 266 undergraduate students in 51 teams, working together for the duration of one academic semester. Data were collected in multiple waves, using open-ended surveys and interviews, as well as a standardized online PE system. Both the qualitative and quantitative analyses revealed that PE feedback is the most salient factor influencing students' improvement in their teamwork effectiveness. Moreover, students' grade aspirations and prior experience using the PE system are positively related to the level of improvement in teamwork effectiveness. The team-level factors have more complex effects, with different team processes influencing improvement along different dimensions of teamwork effectiveness. These findings have important pedagogical implications for improving students’ teamwork effectiveness.

Healthcare Professionals Experience of Psychological Safety, Voice, and Silence.

Healthcare professionals who feel psychologically safe believe it is safe to take interpersonal risks such as voicing concerns, asking questions and giving feedback. Psychological safety is a complex phenomenon which is influenced by organizational, team and individual level factors. However, it has primarily been assessed as a team-level phenomenon. This study focused on understanding healthcare professionals' individual experiences of psychological safety. We aim to gain a fuller understanding of the influence team leaders, interpersonal relationships and individual characteristics have on individuals' psychological safety and their decisions to engage in voice or silence behavior. Thirty-four interviews were conducted with healthcare professionals from across five teams working within an acute, suburban hospital. Hybrid inductive-deductive thematic analysis focused on identifying themes which captured the complexities of individuals' varied experiences of psychological safety. The themes identified were: “Personal Characteristics,” “Past Experiences,” “Individual Perceptions of Being Valued,” and “Judged Appropriateness of Issues/Concerns.” These themes are explored within the context of motivating and inhibiting factors associated with the influence of leadership, interpersonal relationships and individual characteristics on experiences of psychological safety and voice behavior. These results extend existing theoretical frameworks guiding our understanding of psychological safety by accounting for the variation in individuals' experiences and studying these significant influences on voice behavior. Important considerations for the development of interventions to enhance psychological safety are discussed.