Team psychological capital and process improvement: an interactionist perspective
ISSN: 1352-7592
Article publication date: 9 September 2022
Issue publication date: 13 October 2022
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between team psychological capital (PsyCap) and team process improvement (TPI) by focusing on the mediating role of team self-managing behaviors (TSMBs) and the moderating effect of the team reward system.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 514 members and their immediate superiors nested in 135 action teams working for a Canadian public safety organization. Hypotheses were tested using a path analytic procedure.
Findings
Team PsyCap was positively related to TPI, and this relationship was mediated by TSMBs. In addition, the team reward system positively moderated the first stage of this relationship.
Research limitations/implications
This study highlights the important role that motivational factors play in the effectiveness of action teams. Specifically, the present study reveals that the psychological resources of action teams interact with the level of recognition and reward they receive to predict members’ engagement in self-managing behaviors and in improvement processes.
Practical implications
Findings suggest that to promote the capacity for process improvement of actions teams, managers should focus on their positive psychological resources, their capacity to self-manage and on the level of recognition and reward they receive.
Originality/value
Considering the dynamic and complex environments within which action teams operate, the finding that team PsyCap promotes their optimal functioning is particularly noteworthy. Furthermore, this study clarifies why and when team PsyCap enhances TPI.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Declaration of conflicting interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.
Funding: The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this study: This work was supported by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture (FRQSC) (grant number 258935) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (CRSH). These funding agencies acted only as a financial support and did not intervene in the study process.
Ethical considerations: Approval was obtained from the Comité d’éthique de la recherche en sciences et en santé (CERSES) de l’Université de Montréal.
Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
This research was supported by grants from the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture (FRQSC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (CRSH).
Citation
L. Marques, D., Aubé, C. and Rousseau, V. (2022), "Team psychological capital and process improvement: an interactionist perspective", Team Performance Management, Vol. 28 No. 7/8, pp. 504-525. https://doi.org/10.1108/TPM-06-2022-0046
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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