Gergana Todorova

Dynamics in Groups: Are We There Yet?

We know that groups are dynamic entities, and yet we rarely study them as such. Previously hamstrung by limited theory, a decade of advances in understanding the fundamental nature of groups and change promised a revolution in group research. Our goal here is to review those theoretical developments and then examine their impact on our empirical understanding of group dynamics. Examining work done and not done, we will take stock of this work, identify the obstacles that seem to keep us focused more on group statics than dynamics, and then close by offering suggestions about not only what approaches to take when studying group dynamics, but also how the field can help develop these approaches. We hope that a review of the group dynamic literature in 2021 will celebrate our coming empirical accomplishments rather than lament a lack of them.

Can Conflict Be Energizing? A Study of Task Conflict, Positive Emotions, and Job Satisfaction

Scholars have assumed that the presence of negative emotions during task conflict implies the absence of positive emotions. However, emotions researchers have shown that positive and negative emotions are not 2 ends of a bipolar continuum; rather, they represent 2 separate, orthogonal dimensions. Drawing on affective events theory, we develop and test hypotheses about the effects of task conflict on positive emotions and job satisfaction. To this end, we distinguish among the frequency, intensity, and information gained from task conflict. Using field data from 232 employees in a long-term health care organization, we find that more frequent mild task conflict expression engenders more information acquisition, but more frequent intense task conflict expression hinders it. Because of the information gains from mild task conflict expression, employees feel more active, energized, interested, and excited, and these positive active emotions increase job satisfaction. The information gained during task conflict, however, is not always energizing: It depends on the extent to which the behavioral context involves active learning and whether the conflict is cross-functional. We discuss theoretical implications for conflict, emotions, and job satisfaction in organizations.

Measuring teamwork and conflict among Emergency Medical Technician personnel

Abstract Objective. We sought to develop a reliable and valid tool for measuring teamwork among emergency medical technician (EMT) partnerships. Methods. We adapted existing scales and developed new items to measure components of teamwork. After recruiting a convenience sample of 39 agencies, we tested a 122-item draft survey tool (EMT-TEAMWORK). We performed a series of exploratory factor analyses (EFAs) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test reliability and construct validity, describing variation in domain and global scores using descriptive statistics. Results. We received 687 completed surveys. The EFAs identified a nine-factor solution. We labeled these factors 1) Team Orientation, 2) Team Structure & Leadership, 3) Partner Communication, Team Support, & Monitoring, 4) Partner Trust and Shared Mental Models, 5) Partner Adaptability & Back-Up Behavior, 6) Process Conflict, 7) Strong Task Conflict, 8) Mild Task Conflict, and 9) Interpersonal Conflict. We tested a short-form (30-item SF) and long-form (45-item LF) version. The CFAs determined that both the SF and the LF possess positive psychometric properties of reliability and construct validity. The EMT-TEAMWORK-SF has positive internal consistency properties, with a mean Cronbachs alpha coefficient ≥0.70 across all nine factors (mean = 0.84; minimum = 0.78, maximum = 0.94). The mean Cronbachs alpha coefficient for the EMT-TEAMWORK-LF was 0.87 (minimum = 0.79, maximum = 0.94). There was wide variation in weighted scores across all nine factors and the global score for the SF and LF. Mean scores were lowest for the Team Orientation factor (48.1, standard deviation [SD] 21.5, SF; 49.3, SD 19.8, LF) and highest (more positive) for the Interpersonal Conflict factor (87.7, SD 18.1, for both SF and LF). Conclusions: We developed a reliable and valid survey to evaluate teamwork between EMT partners.

When and why prior task experience fosters team creativity

This chapter presents a theoretical framework for the effects of prior task experience on team creativity. We distinguish among different types of experience within teams, namely direct and indirect prior task experience. We argue that different types of prior task experience differentially influence team creativity, and that the prior experience–creativity relationship is mediated by the development and use of transactive memory systems (TMS). We also argue that team characteristics such as identity and communication moderate the effect of prior task experience on TMS, and task characteristics such as uncertainty and interdependence moderate the effect of TMS on group creativity.

Excited to Disagree? A Study of Conflict and Emotions

Prior research on emotion and team conflict has primarily focused on the experience of negative emotions, especially as they pertain to relationship conflict. We extend prior conceptualizations by considering both the valence of emotion (positive versus negative) and the activation level (passive versus active) across three types of conflict. We report survey results demonstrating that active positive emotions (e.g., attentive, interested, excited) are most prevalent in response to all types of conflict. We also find that while the pattern across the four types of emotions is similar for task and process conflict, it differs for relationship conflict.

Building, Managing, and Motivating Great Teams

While technology and market traction are essential to any successful biotechnology organization, the importance of the team cannot be overemphasized. Without an effective team, most companies will not achieve their potential, or will fail. The entrepreneurial leadership team needs to have an understanding that building and sustaining an entrepreneurial culture is what differentiates and sustains successful organizations. The leadership must also be sure to recognize and reward team (and partner) contributions to company value creation, and to incorporate mechanisms and processes to encourage employees to “own” and identify with their organization. Employee ownership includes both equity participation and psychological ownership and identification with the enterprise. Emerging collaborative-networked partnerships in the biopharmaceutical industry incorporate teams that must be constructed and managed to perform effectively across the entire biotechnology value chain including geographically dispersed team members and partners. These new organizations are presented with challenges regarding team development, management, and performance. This chapter covers the topic of building and growing collaborative, interdisciplinary teams that identify and commercialize promising biotechnology innovations, and grow successful companies.