Free Team Research Articles

Team Coach Jim Morgan regularly reviews the team research literature for new ideas and to keep our services up-to-date with The Science of Teams™. Now you can keep up, too, or find the facts related to a specific team issue, using this collection of articles. Each summarizes the results of a study from a peer-reviewed journal or an evidence-based business article by a recognized expert, and includes a full citation to the source.

For longer discussions of the latest research and advice on applying it in your organization, subscribe to Teams Blog.

• Teamwork Research Index
  
  • Conflict
  • Compensation
  • Diversity
  • Elements of Teamwork
  • Meetings
  • Team Learning
  • Team Managers
  • Team Members
  • Teamwork Research
  • Team Building and Training
  • Team to Team Relations
  • Trust
  • Value of Teams
  • Virtual Teams
• Related Information
  
  • About Research Studies
  • About Business Stories
  • About Correlations

Teamwork Research Index

Conflict

• Avoiding Conflict Hurt Team Performance in China
• Methods Suggested to Control Emotion, Prevent Conflict
• Task Conflict Not as Good as Believed
• Also see "Diversity Not Linked…" under "Diversity."
• Also see "Outsider Witnesses…" under "Team Members."

Compensation

• American White-Collar Workers May Resist Group-Based Pay
• Executive Bonuses for Unit Performance Can Hurt Corporate Performance
• Goals Only Part of the Power of Group Pay
• Process Involvement Raised Acceptance of Team Pay
• Rewarding Cooperation May Not Help Task Speed
• Teamwork Trumps Individual Executive Bonuses for Company Performance

Diversity

• Cross-Cultural Meetings Increased Communication Differences
• Culture Affects Power of Empowerment
• Diversity Effects Differ Based on Situation
• Diversity Not Linked to Conflicts in Student Teams
• Effect of Diversity on Teams is Complex
• Goals and Task Management Overcome Diversity's Down Sides
• Racially Diverse Teams Less Empowered, Perceived as Less Effective
• Subgroups, Management Balanced the Down Side of Diversity
• Teamwork Improves Bank Results More than Diversity or Diversity Training

Elements of Teamwork

• Awareness of Member Expertise Helps Teams Perform
• Beliefs about Reputation Linked to Teamwork via Sense of "Team"
• Better Discussions Raised Group Intelligence in Studies
• Cooperation May Come from Mix of Belief, Situations, and Motives
• Decision Consensus and Efficiency Can Go Together
• Information Hoarding Reduced Team Performance
• Job Challenges and Freedom Equal Performance
• Links Clarified Among Personality, Behaviors, and Teamwork Skills
• Perceptions of Control, Sense of Ownership are Related
• Planning, Outcome Focus Helped Teams Deal with Change
• Research About Research Supports Findings on Teams
• Researchers Debunk HR Myths about Teams
• Steps Outlined for Sharing Leadership
• Structural Diversity Benefits Teams Through External Communication
• Team Cohesion Led to Simulated Airline Success
• Team-Created Vision and Teamwork Support Each Other
• Team Development Not Linear, Does Help Performance
• Teams that Identify, Use Real Experts Perform Better
• Teams that Stopped to Reflect were More Innovative
• Themes Identified for Successful Work Cells
• Use of "We" and "Success" May Spell Trouble
• Workplace Helping Creates More Helping

Meetings

• Most Top Management Teams Waste their Meeting Time

Team Learning

• Factors Differed for Sharing and Accepting Co-Worker Knowledge
• Knowledge-Seeking Not Equally Useful for All
• Subteams and Shared Workloads Improved Team Learning
• Trust, Courage, and Empathy Improve Team Learning

Team Managers

• Being Positive can be Negative
• Charismatic Leaders Open Followers to Change
• Delegation Done Right Rare but Good for Manager Careers
• Employee Input Increased Sales in Retail Chain
• Employee Opinions of Teaming Reflected Distrust of Managers
• Familiarity May Breed Better Performance than Experience
• If Coordination Matters, Limit and Split Up Goals
• Lack of HR Metrics Can Hinder People Management
• Leadership and Support Increase Team Citizenship
• Manager Behaviors Led to Effective Self-Managed Teams
• Middle Managers Create Own Meanings During Forced Change
• Political Skills Helped Teams Find Homes for Kids
• Rate Accountability Before Cutting Manager Levels
• Review Finds 20 Fair Practices for Performance Reviews
• Shared Leadership Doomed by Managers Who Compete for Power
• Team Manager Tactics Don't Change with Team
• Team Structure Affected Performance More than Coaching
• Transformational Leadership Builds on Reward System
• Unions and Companies Create Successful Plants Together
• Yelling May Not Always Hurt Teams, nor Praise Always Help
• Also see "Inspirational Leaders…" under "Virtual Teams."

Team Members

• Job Control and Support Lowered Fatigue, Raised Motivation
• Managers Can Empower Individuals Without Hurting Teamwork
• Multitasking Slowed Judges Down
• Need for Help and Personal Traits Affect Team Member Support
• One Person's Bad Mood Can Drag Down a Team
• Outsider Status, Job Title Did Not Affect Trust of Newcomer
• Outsider Witnesses Prompted Ethical Behavior
• Personal Motivation, Expectation of Others Relate to Social Loafing
• Rewarders Earned More than Punishers in Cooperation Game
• Skill, Influence, and Group Spirit Helped Key Workers Speak Up
• Team Expectations Help New Members Succeed

Teamwork Research

• Business Success Stories can be Misleading

Team Building and Training

• 360° Feedback Plus Coaching Creates Results
• Effectiveness of Teambuilding Activities Questioned
• Lectures, Practice, Self-Pacing Help Older Workers Learn
• Myers-Briggs Usage in Workplace Unsound, Scientist Says
• Personality Exercise Without Tests Improved Team Grades
• Team Building Does Work, Review of 103 Studies Shows
• Team Charters Plus Task Plans Boosted Performance

Team to Team Relations

• Power Differences Between Groups Caused Conflict in Computer Model
• Shared Vision May Improve Company Performance through Cooperative Team Goals
• Teamwork Between Teams Improves Project Performance

Trust

• High Trust Combined with Job Freedom May Hurt Team Performance
• Share Goal and Process Information to Build Team Trust
• Also see "Trust, Courage…" under "Team Learning."

Value of Teams

• BMW Empowers its Way to Mini Performance
• Delta Air Survived 9/11 by Involving Employees
• Employee Forums Improved Corporate Internal Communications
• Federal Reserve Bank's Switch to Teams Improves Performance
• Membership on Problem-Solving Team Raised Worker Output
• Problem-Solving Team Replaces Training, Works Better
• Self-Managed Teams Affect Members, Managers Differently
• Surprising Links Found between HR Practices and Quit Rates
• Team Approach Improves On-the-Job Training
• Top Leadership Team Succeeded Without a Leader
• World-Class Manufacturers Use Empowered Teams
• Also see "Teamwork Improves…" under "Diversity."

Virtual Teams

• Communication Needs of Cross-Cultural Virtual Teams Identified
• European Team Illustrates How to Make Virtual Teams Work
• Inspirational Leaders May Improve Virtual Teams
• Review States What We Know About Virtual Teams
• Sponsor Support, Early Communication Critical to Virtual Project Teams
• Tool, Problem Type Affected Leadership Style Effectiveness
• Virtual Teams Benefit from Empowerment
• Virtual Teams Different in Types, Effects of Conflict
• Virtual Teams Succeed Through Communication, Good Technology Use
• Also see "Cross-Cultural Meetings…" under "Diversity."