Summary Compulsory Literature Team Processes in Organizations
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Course
Team Processes in Organizations
Institution
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU)
Comprehensive summaries of all mandatory articles for this course (2024/2025) written in English. It is clearly indicated for which article the summary is and it is written in the order of the lectures.
Samenvatting Artikelen Team Processes
Lecturer: Wendy Andrews
Hollenbeck, J. R., Beersma, B., & Schouten (2012). Beyond team types and
taxonomies: A dimensional scaling conceptualization for team description.
The paper critiques traditional approaches to classifying teams, which rely heavily on
typologies and taxonomies. It argues that these approaches can be overly rigid and not fully
capture the complexity of team structures. Instead, the authors propose a new method for
describing teams: a dimensional scaling model that allows for more flexibility and precision
in understanding team characteristics.
Critique of Traditional Team Classifications
Historically, teams have been classified into types, such as functional teams, cross-functional
teams, or self-managed teams, with taxonomies organizing these types based on categorical
distinctions. The authors argue that these classifications are limiting for several reasons:
1. Overgeneralization: Typologies often oversimplify team dynamics by forcing teams
into fixed categories, which can ignore important nuances.
2. Inflexibility: These taxonomies fail to adapt to the diversity and complexity of
modern organizational teams, which frequently operate in changing and uncertain
environments.
3. Lack of predictive power: By focusing on categories, typologies miss out on
important underlying dimensions that may be more predictive of team performance.
Proposed Dimensional Scaling Model
In response to these limitations, the authors introduce a dimensional scaling conceptualization
for describing teams. Rather than categorizing teams into fixed types, this model emphasizes
describing teams along multiple continuous dimensions. These dimensions are not binary or
discrete; rather, they allow for a range of possibilities and configurations, providing a more
nuanced and dynamic view of teams.
Key dimensions include:
Authority Differentiation: Refers to how decision-making authority is distributed
within the team, ranging from fully centralized to completely decentralized.
Skill Differentiation: Describes the degree to which team members possess unique or
overlapping skill sets, spanning from highly specialized roles to generalist teams.
Temporal Stability: Focuses on the length and stability of the team's membership,
from long-standing, stable teams to short-term, fluid groups.
These dimensions are not independent; they interact with one another, allowing for complex
and context-specific team structures. The dimensional approach offers greater flexibility and a
more granular understanding of how teams function and succeed in various organizational
environments.
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,Application of the Dimensional Model
The dimensional scaling model is highly adaptable, allowing for teams to be described more
accurately based on their specific attributes rather than forcing them into predefined
categories. This flexibility has several implications:
1. Customization: The model supports more tailored interventions in team design,
helping managers and leaders better align team structure with the specific demands of
tasks and goals.
2. Dynamic Evolution: Teams can evolve over time, and the dimensional model
accounts for this fluidity, acknowledging that team characteristics may shift as
projects or organizational contexts change.
3. Cross-Disciplinary Relevance: The authors note that this approach is applicable
across industries and sectors, as the key dimensions of authority, skill differentiation,
and temporal stability are universal features of teamwork.
Implications for Future Research
The dimensional scaling model opens up new avenues for research into team dynamics. It
encourages scholars to explore how different combinations of dimensions affect team
performance and outcomes, as well as how these dimensions interact with other contextual
factors like organizational culture or external market conditions.
Conclusion
Hollenbeck, Beersma, and Schouten (2012) advocate for moving beyond traditional team
taxonomies and typologies in favor of a dimensional scaling model. This model offers a more
flexible and precise way to describe teams, accounting for the complexities of modern
organizational contexts. By focusing on continuous dimensions such as authority
differentiation, skill differentiation, and temporal stability, the model provides a richer
framework for understanding team dynamics, and it has broad applicability for both
practitioners and scholars in the field of organizational behavior and team management.
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,Lacarenza, C. N., Marlow, S. L., Tannenbaum, S. I., & Salas, E. (2018). Team
development interventions: Evidence-based approaches for improving teamwork.
Lacerenza et al. (2018) address the growing importance of teamwork in modern organizations
and examine how team development interventions (TDIs) can improve team effectiveness.
The article seeks to synthesize evidence from multiple studies on team interventions and offer
practical, evidence-based recommendations for practitioners aiming to improve teamwork in
various organizational contexts.
Importance of Team Development Interventions (TDIs)
Teams are essential in many organizational settings, yet their effectiveness can be
compromised without proper development and management. Team development interventions
are structured efforts to improve team processes, communication, and coordination to enhance
performance. The authors note that while the concept of TDIs is widely accepted, there is
variability in how they are applied and their impact.
To provide clarity, the paper reviews and evaluates different types of TDIs, grounding their
effectiveness in empirical research. The goal is to identify the best practices that lead to
sustained improvements in team functioning.
Types of Team Development Interventions
Lacerenza et al. categorize TDIs into four main types, based on the nature and focus of the
intervention:
1. Team Training: Focuses on developing team members’ shared knowledge, skills, and
abilities (KSAs) related to teamwork, including communication, coordination, and
conflict management.
2. Team Building: Aims to strengthen interpersonal relationships and improve cohesion
through activities designed to enhance trust, problem-solving, and goal alignment
within the team.
3. Leadership Training for Team Leaders: Specifically targets the skills of team
leaders, helping them to manage team processes, delegate effectively, and guide the
team through challenges.
4. Team Debriefing: Involves structured reflection on team performance, allowing
teams to review successes and failures, identify areas for improvement, and develop
strategies for future challenges.
Key Findings
Through a meta-analysis of studies on team development interventions, the authors identified
several key findings that highlight the overall effectiveness of these approaches and their
contextual dependencies:
1. Overall Effectiveness of TDIs: The meta-analysis demonstrates that team
development interventions are generally effective in improving team outcomes. Teams
that undergo TDIs show significant improvements in key performance indicators such
as productivity, communication, and satisfaction.
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, 2. Type-Specific Outcomes:
o Team Training was found to have the largest impact on cognitive outcomes
(e.g., shared understanding and mental models), which in turn improves task
coordination and decision-making.
o Team Building is particularly effective for improving affective outcomes,
such as team cohesion, trust, and morale.
o Leadership Training enhances team processes by equipping leaders with
better management techniques, fostering a positive team climate, and
enhancing the ability to handle conflicts.
o Team Debriefing is crucial for improving team learning and adaptability, as it
encourages reflective practices and continuous improvement based on past
performance.
3. Moderating Factors: The effectiveness of TDIs is influenced by several contextual
factors, including:
o Team Tenure: Teams that have worked together longer benefit more from
team development interventions, as they can apply their shared experience to
maximize intervention benefits.
o Intervention Timing: The timing of the intervention also matters.
Interventions that occur early in the team's lifecycle or at critical junctures
(e.g., after key projects) yield better results.
o Task Interdependence: TDIs are more impactful in teams with high task
interdependence, where collaboration and coordination are essential for task
success.
4. Sustained Effects: The positive effects of team development interventions are not
limited to immediate performance improvements but can lead to long-term benefits.
Teams that engage in periodic interventions, such as recurring debriefs and follow-up
training, tend to sustain their improvements over time.
Practical Recommendations for Implementing TDIs
Based on their findings, the authors offer several evidence-based recommendations for
practitioners:
1. Tailor Interventions to Team Needs: Practitioners should carefully assess the
specific needs of the team and choose the appropriate type of intervention (e.g.,
training vs. debriefing) that aligns with those needs.
2. Encourage Leadership Involvement: Team leaders play a critical role in fostering a
positive climate and reinforcing team interventions. Providing leaders with the
necessary training ensures they can support and sustain the improvements made
through TDIs.
3. Integrate Continuous Learning: Team development should not be a one-time event.
Organizations should adopt a continuous learning approach by integrating regular
debriefing sessions and follow-up training to reinforce positive behaviors.
4. Consider Team Dynamics and Context: The design and delivery of interventions
should take into account the team's maturity, task complexity, and organizational
environment to maximize their effectiveness.
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