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Article
Publication date: 18 April 2023

Benjamin Osayawe Ehigie, Adeshola Abiodun Odunela and Rebecca Ibhaguelo Ehigie

This study aims to examine emotional intelligence (EI) and organizational communication as predictors of teamwork effectiveness among bank employees in Nigeria. The Nigerian…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine emotional intelligence (EI) and organizational communication as predictors of teamwork effectiveness among bank employees in Nigeria. The Nigerian banking industry suffered financial crisis, leading to depression, following inability to meet standards of the regulatory body. With current emphasis on teamwork for business growth, literatures suggest EI and organizational communication as predictors for teamwork effectiveness.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional survey of 230 bank employees, selected through multistage sampling, using a valid and reliable structured questionnaire that incorporated all research variables was used for data collection. A questionnaire containing the research scales was administered and data were collected.

Findings

Positive relationship was established between perceived teamwork effectiveness and components of EI, including self-emotion appraisal, other’s emotion appraisal (OEA), actual use of emotion and regulation of emotion (ROE) and perceived organizational communication effectiveness. Hierarchical regression analysis reveals that age, gender, job status and educational qualification jointly predicted teamwork effectiveness, although only educational qualification contributed significantly. The inclusion of EI dimensions showed that only OEA, actual use of emotion and ROE were significant predictors, along with organizational communication.

Research limitations/implications

Data collected were based on self-report of the participants. It is advised that more objective measures could be devised. The findings are limited to the banking industry and cannot be generalized to other work organizations. The research was conducted in Nigeria, a developing country; thus, the findings may not be generalized to the developed nations.

Practical implications

Educational factor could be applied in engaging team members. On the alternative, commercial banks should invest in periodic training programs to enhance employee communication skills and EI. Human resources personnel could use these research outcomes to enhance the selection and placement of employees in commercial banks. By these research findings the adequacies of some psychological theories in explaining team effectiveness have been empirically implicated, and the literature on team effectiveness has been increased. Consequently, commercial banks should invest in periodic training programs to enhance employee communication skills and EI, and use these findings to enhance selection and placement in Nigerian banks. It is evident from the results of the present study that the more educated team members are the more likely their teams would be effective in the teamwork. However, periodic training (both off the job and on the job) on EI and its pertinent dimensions, and adoption of appropriate communication styles, could be used to compliment educational deficiencies. Thus, the less educated persons could function adequately in teams if they receive the empowerment. The human resources managers are to note that new bank employees would be better team players when there are adequate orientated on programs on how towards effective to communicate at teamwork functions.

Social implications

It is evident from these research findings that EI and appropriate organizational communication are behavioral tools that could enhance team interaction and consequently improve team effectiveness.

Originality/value

It is revealed how teams could be made effective through the combined factors of EI and organizational communication, especially among bank employees in Nigeria. Unlike some other studies, this research discovered the specific EI factors that could enhance team effectiveness, not just general EI. It empirically validated some theories that are proposed in relation to EI and organizational communication. This study showcased how teams could be made more effective in the banking sector of the Nigerian economy.

Details

Team Performance Management: An International Journal, vol. 29 no. 3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1352-7592

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 October 2019

Taghrid Saleh Suifan, Salah Alhyari and Rateb J. Sweis

Teamwork is important for firms’ innovation and effectiveness, but often within-team conflicts arise. Prior literature reported inconsistent associations between conflict and team…

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Abstract

Purpose

Teamwork is important for firms’ innovation and effectiveness, but often within-team conflicts arise. Prior literature reported inconsistent associations between conflict and team outcomes. This study aims to clarify these relationships and examine if team reflexivity improves outcomes and weakens intragroup conflict tendencies.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected through a survey questionnaire of 288 team members working on projects at 41 different high-tech firms in Jordan. The authors then built a model of intragroup conflict effects and used structural equation modeling to test for both direct and indirect effects.

Findings

Indirect effects of intragroup conflict were significantly associated with teamwork quality. Teamwork quality was also significantly related to improved team outcomes, and team reflexivity moderated this relationship. Furthermore, it was found that the direct effect of intragroup conflict was not significantly related to either teamwork quality or effectiveness. Finally, results supported the idea that some conflict is required for teams to remain viable, self-critical and innovative.

Research limitations/implications

This is a cross-sectional study conducted in a single country and business industry, which limits the generalizability of results.

Practical implications

Team leaders should use reflexivity to create a sense of openness for collaborative interaction to improve group performance and member satisfaction.

Originality/value

This study provides a verified model to determine the circumstances in which conflict benefits team innovation and effectiveness. A central study contribution is that reflexivity reduces the negative impact of intragroup conflict.

Article
Publication date: 4 August 2022

Florence Yaa Akyaa Ellis, Samuel Amos-Abanyie, Titus Ebenezer Kwofie, Kofi Amponsah-Kwatiah, Isaac Afranie and Clinton Ohis Aigbavboa

Though affective commitment has been thought to be critical in team selection, it is yet to be integrated into current models on team selection primarily due to lack of…

Abstract

Purpose

Though affective commitment has been thought to be critical in team selection, it is yet to be integrated into current models on team selection primarily due to lack of understanding of its contribution to teamwork effectiveness and performance. This study tests the contribution of complementary person team-fit (CF), supplementary person team-fit (SF) and affective commitment (AC) to teamwork effectiveness in construction project teams. By this examination, a theoretical case is made for the inclusion of affective commitment in team selection and deployment in construction project delivery.

Design/methodology/approach

By using a deductive questionnaire survey on project team participants and experienced human resource managers in recruitment and team selection in project organizations, structural equation model (SEM) was used to test the contribution of CF, SF and AC parameters to teamwork effectiveness from a total of 105 responses gathered from project team participants in project delivery.

Findings

The SEM revealed that, CF, SF and AC together account for about 81% predictive effect to teamwork effectiveness which is higher than joint effect of CF and SF in existing models in team selection and deployment. By this, it can be affirmed that, in considering CF, SF and AC in an integrated manner in team selection and deployment, higher team effectiveness can be achieved that can stimulate high performing teams and effectiveness in project delivery.

Originality/value

The findings give theoretical assertiveness to extending consideration of competence and values in team selection to embrace affections and commitment to engender effectiveness in teamwork, cohesion, collaboration and performance. This present novel attempts to include affective commitment in teamwork toward higher team effectiveness.

Details

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, vol. 15 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8378

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 June 2022

Joe Sanderson, Ali Esfahbodi and Chris Lonsdale

A lack of sourcing-specific team research prevents a full understanding of sourcing teamwork effectiveness (STE). Moreover, the limited purchasing and supply management (PSM) team…

1147

Abstract

Purpose

A lack of sourcing-specific team research prevents a full understanding of sourcing teamwork effectiveness (STE). Moreover, the limited purchasing and supply management (PSM) team literature often tends to focus on an aggregate group level. The paper makes a step towards adopting an individual actor perspective on teamwork effectiveness with an emphasis on the context of sourcing, explicating the effects of team-member knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs), and examining how these relationships are moderated by a common learning experience of strategic sourcing masterclass.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a cross-sectional survey, this study analyses a sample of 90 sourcing team members from a global aerospace manufacturing company using hierarchical regression analysis.

Findings

The results suggest that four of the five KSAs positively and significantly affect STE; the exception was collaborative problem solving. Masterclass learning outcomes were found to positively moderate the effects of these KSAs on STE, again exclusive of the collaborative problem-solving KSA.

Research limitations/implications

Cross-sectional design focused only on the aerospace sector may affect generalizability. Further, longitudinal research designs would capture the effects of the common learning experience over an extended period.

Practical implications

Sourcing team members could be selected based on having KSAs which significantly affect teamwork effectiveness. Training and development for sourcing teams should combine guided reflexivity and cross-training to deliver learning outcomes that create similar team mental models.

Originality/value

The study provides an individual team-member perspective on the functioning of sourcing teams which is absent in the extant research. It contributes to the very limited research base on skills in PSM.

Details

International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, vol. 52 no. 5/6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0960-0035

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 August 2013

Nathalie Drouin and Mario Bourgault

Work in distributed project teams is always a challenge for organizations. Many researchers have studies different aspects of distributed project teams, as witnessed by the…

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Abstract

Purpose

Work in distributed project teams is always a challenge for organizations. Many researchers have studies different aspects of distributed project teams, as witnessed by the impressive number of papers published in the last decade. However, it appears that the dimensions related to organizational support have still not received much attention in empirical studies. This study investigates the dimensions of organizational support in distributed project teams that contribute most to the quality of the decision‐making process and teamwork effectiveness in distributed project teams.

Design/methodology/approach

The initial intent of this research was to test a theoretical model on the basis of data from the field, namely real‐life situations. A two‐step approach (qualitative and quantitative method) was used. The research model was tested in a sample of experienced project managers on distributed project teams.

Findings

The results suggest that strategic staffing and training and tools provided to team members have a positive impact on the quality of decision making and teamwork effectiveness. Team autonomy is more salient and influential in fostering decision quality in a highly culturally diverse context. Our findings also re‐confirm the link between the quality of decision making and team effectiveness. Thus, teams are perceived as vehicles for identifying and integrating various individual viewpoints and combining knowledge.

Practical implications

This study underscores the importance of selecting practices that enhance the recognition of team members’ contributions in the context of distributed project teams. It is now clear that managers cannot treat these distributed project teams in the same way as conventional teams. Several intervention and support methods are possible. This research contributes to identifying which of them are the most appropriate in this context.

Originality/value

This study contributes to research on distributed project teams and on organizational support theory. It highlights the importance of understanding the processes or dimensions underlying the consequences of perceived organizational support. It bolsters the need to select practices that enhance the recognition of team members’ contributions and treat them favourably in the context of distributed project teams.

Details

Journal of Management Development, vol. 32 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0262-1711

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 April 2020

Jeffrey Boon Hui Yap, Wen Jie Leong and Martin Skitmore

Teamwork in the construction industry has attracted much attention from both academic and industrial circles. Most importantly, improving team effectiveness will increase the…

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Abstract

Purpose

Teamwork in the construction industry has attracted much attention from both academic and industrial circles. Most importantly, improving team effectiveness will increase the likelihood of successful project delivery. Recognising the factors influencing team dynamics is important for enhanced team performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a detailed literature review, a survey questionnaire containing 10 aspects and 25 attributes of teamwork relevant to construction is used to collect feedback from Malaysian construction practitioners from client, consultant and contractor organisations to prioritise these hypothesised variables. The data are then subjected to reliability analysis, descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations, and frequencies), a one-sample t-test, the Kruskal–Wallis ANOVA and exploratory factor analysis.

Findings

The significance of these aspects and attributes is then presented. The three most crucial aspects are “project performance”, “decision-making capability” and “problem-solving ability”. The most influential attributes are “effective communication between project team members”, “efficient team leadership”, “well-defined team responsibilities and roles”, “clear team goals and objectives” and “good collaboration between all project leaders”. The Kruskal–Wallis ANOVA reveals five attributes having statistically significant differences with respect to company size, namely “clear team goals and objectives”, “commitment to the project”, “adequate resources”, “team or task processes” and “creativity and innovation”. Six underlying dimensions are found, comprising (1) participative engagement and task commitment; (2) team responsibility structure and accountability; (3) culture of trust and respect; (4) leader's skills and abilities; (5) top management support; and (6) synergic working environment.

Practical implications

The identification of these dimensions for team effectiveness provides rigorous basis for formulating useful team-building strategies for integrating a collaborative environment among project stakeholders and consequently improving project performance.

Originality/value

This paper bridges the identified knowledge gap concerning the dimensionality of teamwork attributes in construction-based setting and adds to existing knowledge of how team effectiveness can be leveraged to improve project performance in the construction management literature.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 27 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 August 2008

Mehmet Karakuş and Fatih Töremen

The main purpose of this study is to find out the importance levels of obstacles to teamwork in the view of teachers and thus inspire school leaders to remove these obstacles and…

2480

Abstract

Purpose

The main purpose of this study is to find out the importance levels of obstacles to teamwork in the view of teachers and thus inspire school leaders to remove these obstacles and to make teamwork more effective.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey‐based descriptive scanning model was used. This study was performed in Elazig city centre during the 2006‐2007 academic year. A four‐dimensional and 32‐itemed “ordering questionnaire” was administered to 424 teachers working at primary schools.

Findings

In the light of related literature, the most significant factors for the effectiveness of teamwork have been classified in four dimensions. These are leadership actions, structural characteristics of work group, individual characteristics of members, and interrelationships among members. Administrators' inequitable applications, lack of a group climate in which each teacher is appreciated and valued, teachers' lack of motivation, competitive and not cooperative relationships were sorted by teachers as being the most important obstacles to teamwork. There were meaningful differences among teachers' views according to the gender and tenure variables.

Research limitations/implications

Since teamwork is a necessity for school effectiveness, it is very important to determine and to remove the obstacles on the way to effective teamwork.

Practical implications

The study gives cues for school leaders on how teachers should be treated in general and in the aspects of their personal characteristics to attain effective teamwork in schools.

Originality/value

With an original classification of the components of effective teamwork, the study seeks to determine teachers' perceptions about the importance level of obstacles of effective teamwork through an ordering questionnaire in a different perspective.

Details

Team Performance Management: An International Journal, vol. 14 no. 5/6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1352-7592

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 May 2008

Khalid Al‐Rawi

This paper aims to explore the nature and the function of teamwork cohesiveness in organizations in the UAE.

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the nature and the function of teamwork cohesiveness in organizations in the UAE.

Design/methodology/approach

While many organizations are successful at managing the materials and machinery of the organization, they fall short in managing the human side of their business. This research addresses and assesses how teams can progress to be of maximum use through teamwork and to view teams as performing organizational units which is similar to other studies that focus on teamwork processes. Teamwork cohesiveness is defined as a small number of people with complimentary skills who are committed to common purposes, performance goals, and approaches for which they hold themselves mutually accountable. These include being a team player with participation propensity, cooperative behaviors, and leadership skills. A model was tested, relating teamwork cohesiveness with intelligence and skills; reduce conflict, and 2D of organizational commitment, i.e. value, and performance. Survey data from 76 teams (n=294) were collected in three industrial institutions in the UAE.

Findings

The results are supportive of a multi‐component structure for cohesiveness and of its importance to the functioning of teams and organizations. Teamwork cohesiveness appeared strongly related with team member's attitudes towards the organization. Cohesiveness between team members was positively associated with value commitment and negatively with performance commitment. In addition, intelligence and skills appeared strongly related to team satisfaction.

Originality/value

The paper offers insights into cohesiveness within teamwork.

Details

Education, Business and Society: Contemporary Middle Eastern Issues, vol. 1 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-7983

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 September 2018

Emre Burak Ekmekcioglu, Belgin Aydintan and Mustafa Celebi

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of behavioral dimensions constituting the essence of charismatic leadership (CL) on coordinated teamwork (CTW).

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of behavioral dimensions constituting the essence of charismatic leadership (CL) on coordinated teamwork (CTW).

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 113 members among 20 ad hoc project teams formed by specialists and assistant specialists employed in a public institution. Simple linear and multiple regression models were employed to analyze the effect of CL on CTW.

Findings

The behavioral dimensions of CL, which include possessing a strategic vision and articulation skill, sensitivity to the environment and sensitivity to member needs, were found to have a significant and positive effect on CTW, while the personal risk and unconventional behavior dispositions of a leader were found to render no significant effect on CTW.

Research limitations/implications

Having tested the effect of CL behaviors on CTW, this particular model provides salient implications in clarifying which CL behaviors particularly render a significant effect on CTW and the consequential effectiveness of teamwork. Nevertheless, there is a need for longitudinal studies conducted in a range of different sectors and institutions.

Originality/value

The originality of this empirical study is that it advances the grasp of the relationship between CTW and the behavioral factors of CL.

Details

Leadership & Organization Development Journal, vol. 39 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7739

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 July 2024

Chris Lonsdale, Joe Sanderson and Ali Esfahbodi

The 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…

Abstract

Purpose

The 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/approach

The 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.

Findings

The 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/implications

Limitations 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 implications

The 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/value

To 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.

Details

Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, vol. 29 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1359-8546

Keywords

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