Reconsidering our team effectiveness models: A call for an integrative paradigm

Abstract

Within the field of work and organizational psychology, team research has received renewed attention since the 1980s with researchers showing increasing interest in developing team effectiveness models. These models have taught us much about which factors determine team effectiveness. However, we notice some important shortcomings also, for example, the lack of attention to how certain factors influence team outcomes. This limitation, in our view, is the result of restriction in the paradigm that has dominated team research in the field of work and organizational psychology in recent years. In this chapter, we attempt to broaden our view by describing approaches that originate from different paradigms, specifically that integrate differing assumptions. With the help of Giddens' structuration theory, DeSanctis and Poole (1994) and Poole & DeSanctis (1989, 1990) have developed adaptive structuration theory (AST), which is such an integrative approach. Originally AST focused on groups using group technology only. This chapter makes a case for using this approach to ground future team effectiveness research efforts in the organization sciences.

Citation

Ruel, H.J.M. (2000), "Reconsidering our team effectiveness models: A call for an integrative paradigm", Advances in Interdisciplinary Studies of Work Teams (Advances in Interdisciplinary Studies of Work Teams, Vol. 7), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 173-185. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1572-0977(00)07011-4