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1 – 10 of 13Margarida Pinheiro, Teresa Rebelo, Paulo Renato Lourenço and Isabel Dimas
The purpose of this study is to analyze the configurational effect of transformational leadership, team conflict, team cohesion and psychological safety on team learning.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to analyze the configurational effect of transformational leadership, team conflict, team cohesion and psychological safety on team learning.
Design/methodology/approach
The questionnaire and two different data sources (team members and team leaders) were used as data collection strategy. Based on a sample of 82 teams, qualitative comparative analysis in its fuzzy set variant was used to test the model.
Findings
The findings of this study reveal that three important paths explain team learning: the presence of transformational leadership, task cohesion and psychological safety with the absence of relationship conflict; the presence of transformational leadership, social and task cohesion and psychological safety; and the presence of transformational leadership, social and task cohesion with the absence of relationship and task conflict.
Originality/value
Overall, the findings suggest that the presence of transformational leadership, team cohesion and psychological safety and the absence of conflict are important conditions for team learning to occur, as well as that more than one configurations of antecedent factors drive team learning.
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Teresa Rebelo, Paulo Renato Lourenço and Isabel Dórdio Dimas
This paper is focused on team learning, the fourth discipline proposed by Senge (1990) in his seminal book The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper is focused on team learning, the fourth discipline proposed by Senge (1990) in his seminal book The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. This paper aims to provide a reflection upon the journey that this construct has made since this book’s publication, in terms of conceptualization, research and its link to organizational learning and learning organizations.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is based on a review of Senge’s (1990) conceptualization of team learning and on a literature review of team learning research that has been produced since then.
Findings
Since the first edition of Senge’s book in 1990, team learning has been growing as an autonomous research topic with numerous papers centered on learning at this level of analysis. Senge’s proposals concerning team learning remain present in the way team learning is now conceptualized, but this research stream has led to advancements in its conceptualization and on the understanding of its antecedents and consequences. Nevertheless, the authors observed a lack of research centered on the link between team learning and organizational learning, as well as between team learning and the concept of the learning organization.
Originality/value
This paper offers a review of research on team learning, suggesting some avenues for further research on this topic and its contribution to learning organizations. As teams are nowadays the building blocks of most organizational structures, and learning is a key process for effectiveness, research on learning at this level of analysis will remain valuable.
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Teresa Rebelo, Paulo Renato Lourenço and Isabel Dórdio Dimas
Teresa Rebelo, Isabel Dórdio Dimas, Paulo Renato Lourenço and Ângela Palácio
The purpose of this paper was to contribute to a deeper understanding of the effects of transformational leadership on team performance, examining the role of team…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper was to contribute to a deeper understanding of the effects of transformational leadership on team performance, examining the role of team psychological capital (team PsyCap) and team learning behaviours as intervening mechanisms in that relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative study with a cross-sectional design was conducted. The sample was composed of 82 teams from 57 Portuguese companies. Hypotheses were tested through structural equation modelling.
Findings
Results revealed that transformational leadership is positively related to team PsyCap, which, in turn, is positively related to team learning behaviours. Moreover, the study’s findings supported the indirect influence of transformational leadership on team performance, through the role played by team PsyCap and team learning behaviours.
Originality/value
This is the first study that considers the mediating role of team PsyCap and team learning behaviours in the relationship between transformational leadership and team performance. In this manner, the present research contributes to the body of research on leadership, highlighting the way through which leadership might translate into team performance. Moreover, it contributes also to the positive organisational behaviour literature, identifying both antecedents and consequents of team PsyCap. The study’s findings encourage organisations to develop ways of reinforcing transformational leadership behaviours and psychological capital among teams.
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Isabel Dórdio Dimas, Teresa Rebelo and Paulo Renato Lourenço
The purpose of this paper was to contribute to the clarification of the conditions under which teams can be successful, especially those related to team learning. To…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper was to contribute to the clarification of the conditions under which teams can be successful, especially those related to team learning. To attain this goal, in the present study, the mediating role played by team members’ motivation on the relationship between team learning conditions (shared learning beliefs and team learning support) and members’ satisfaction with the team was analysed.
Design/methodology/approach
An empirical study with a multilevel design was carried out. Data concerning learning conditions, motivation and satisfaction were obtained from a survey among 398 employees working in 71 teams that perform complex tasks from 24 companies. A multilevel analysis was conducted.
Findings
Overall, the results showed that both team learning conditions – shared learning beliefs and team learning support – had a significant positive effect on members’ satisfaction, which was mediated by members’ motivation.
Originality/value
The proliferation of groups in the organizational setting has set new challenges for organizational research. In fact, more than ever it is necessary to study the conditions under which teams can be successful. Our findings put forward the relevance of creating conditions in the team to learn to increase team effectiveness, namely, in terms of team members’ satisfaction.
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Márcia Coelho and Isabel Menezes
The social dimension of Higher Education has gained relevance on the political and strategic discourses that urge Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to put University…
Abstract
Purpose
The social dimension of Higher Education has gained relevance on the political and strategic discourses that urge Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to put University Social Responsibility (USR) into action and also recognise its importance for students’ development. However, students’ conceptions of USR are seldom explored. This paper aims to understand students’ perceptions of USR and the potential of their involvement in broadly-defined USR activities/projects.
Design/methodology/approach
This research involves two studies in three European universities, Edinburgh, Porto and Kaunas: the first uses a qualitative approach to consider how students perceive the impact of their involvement in the Erasmus+ project ESSA, using document analysis, focus groups and thematic analysis; the second involves a questionnaire with 718 students to explore their views on USR, participation in university-based experiences, personal and social development and citizenship conceptions, analysed with descriptive and inferential statistics.
Findings
Student’s value USR and their university policies and practises, even if they feel they are not engaged as they should. They value university as a learning space beyond the classroom and putting USR into practice. Their participation is related to their appraisal of USR and their conceptions of citizens’ roles.
Research limitations/implications
In spite of using convenience samples of students in three different universities, this research not only sheds light on students’ views on USR and their participation in diverse university-based experiences but also advances with research instruments that can be used in future research in this field.
Social implications
This research helps HEIs realise the potential of promoting students’ participation in diverse university-based experiences, increasing community engagement and their development as professionals and critical citizens.
Originality/value
This paper addresses a research gap by exploring how students perceive USR and their participation in university-based experiences might simultaneously be a strategy for putting USR in action and fostering students’ civic engagement.
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Marcia Coelho and Isabel Menezes
In the context of increasingly diverse issues that affect global society, the social responsibility dimension in higher education institutions is being called to the…
Abstract
Purpose
In the context of increasingly diverse issues that affect global society, the social responsibility dimension in higher education institutions is being called to the forefront of change, both in the sense of rethinking their internal practices (e.g. promoting the access and progression of students from different cultural backgrounds) and in their interaction with the surrounding community (e.g. through the establishment of stronger partnerships). The USR activities and projects are considered driving forces of change for universities, but the potential that the involvement of students in this area can have, in their academic and professional capacities, is not yet sufficiently studied.
Design/methodology/approach
This study examines how students from three European universities (Edinburgh, Porto and Kaunas) perceive the impact of their own involvement in the Erasmus + project ESSA – an experiential training in university social responsibility audit – through focus-group discussions.
Findings
This analysis pointed towards the role of USR projects as an opportunity for students to improve transversal competencies aligned with articulation between the three cornerstones of the university: teaching, research and third mission.
Research limitations/implications
The study rests on students' perceptions of personal change.
Practical implications
This research can help higher education institutions understand the potential of involving students in existing USR projects as a tool to promote their personal, academic and civic development.
Social implications
USR is a core mission of higher education institutions that is beneficial not only internally but also in what concerns interactions with the community and the potential for developing “public-minded alumni”.
Originality/value
This paper provides an insight into how students perceive the impact of their involvement in USR projects as unique learning spaces.
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