What makes a good team player? Personality and team effectiveness.

Good team players are often defined in trait terms; that is, they are described as dependable, flexible, or cooperative. Our goal is to examine the relationship between team member personality traits and team effectiveness. However, to understand the effects of personality on team performance requires greater specificity in how personality is described and in how team effectiveness is described. A hierarchical model of team member personality is presented that defines higher-level personality traits and specific facets relevant to team performance. Next, a classification of the core teamwork dimensions underlying effective team performance is presented. Finally, predictions are derived linking team member personality facets to specific teamwork requirements. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Performance posting, goal setting, and activity-contingent praise as applied to a university hockey team.

Rate of legal body checking (hit rate) was targeted for change for each of two consecutive seasons for a university hockey team that had a chronic losing record. Following baseline recording (A), the interventions of publicly posted individual feedback (B), goal setting (C), and praise (D) were successively introduced "on-the-baseline" using a components-analysis research strategy. An analogous design and procedure was used the following season, with the exception that more intensive training was given to the coach on the delivery of praise. Overall, the mean hit rate increased 82% (excluding the highly talented senior players who initiated the first project application) and 141% (no exclusions), respectively, for the 2 years. Moreover, with the single exception of the praise treatment of the first year, increments in hit rate occurred with the onset and tenure of each intervention (most ps?     

Perceived efficacy and interpersonal impact of impression management among psychiatric patients.

100 hospitalized male psychiatric patients listened to 1 of 4 audiotapes on which an interviewed patient revealed his intentions to engage either in healthy or sick self-presentation. The taped patient also reported his psychiatrist to be either in favor of or opposed to early discharge. Ss predicted longer lengths of hospitalization for the taped patients, and found him to be less interpersonally attractive, when he intended to fake psychopathology. Predicted length of hospitalization was also longer when the taped patient's psychiatrist was reportedly opposed to early discharge. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship between collective efficacy and team cohesion: Conceptual and measurement issues.

Collective efficacy has received little research attention since its inception. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to develop a theory-based measure of collective efficacy and determine its relationship with another group phenomenon—group cohesion. Volleyball players (N?=?70) completed questionnaires designed to assess their perceptions of their teams' confidence in skills and abilities related to group tasks and processes. Several important outcomes emerged. First, a theory-based measure of collective efficacy was developed, and initial psychometric properties were established. Second, various aspects of collective efficacy were found to be positively correlated with group cohesion. Third, only certain aspects of a multidimensional collective efficacy measure were found to be predictive of task-related aspects of team cohesion. When considered together, the findings represent a promising step toward the investigation of collective efficacy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mental efficacy and physical efficacy at the team level: Inputs and outcomes among newly formed action teams.

The authors demarcated mental efficacy and physical efficacy at the team level, and they explored these 2 factors as outcomes of 4 potential inputs and as predictors of 3 outcomes among 110 newly formed action teams in a military setting. Both types of team efficacy benefited from greater team size and an initial experience of enactive mastery, but they were not influenced by teams' female representation or knowledge pool. In terms of predictive contributions, both mental and physical efficacy facilitated internal social cohesion, yet only mental efficacy promoted problem solving and observed teamwork effectiveness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Short-term efficacy of interventions by a youth crisis team

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of an outpatient psychiatric Emergency Room Follow-up Team (ERFUT) on the hospitalization rate of youth in crisis (mostly suicidal adolescents). METHOD: The rate of psychiatric admissions of youth to a general pediatric hospital during a year prior to the ERFUT creation was compared to that same rate after the team's creation. The proportion of patients returning to the Emergency Room (ER) 2 or more times was also compared for those same years. Deaths were identified at 3-year follow-up for the experimental group. RESULTS: A 16% reduction in the hospitalization rate followed the team's creation, without an increase in the proportion of patients returning to the ER. Also, none of the experimental group subjects had died at 3-year follow-up. CONCLUSION: There is a subpopulation of previously hospitalized suicidal adolescents who can be effectively cared for as outpatients when treated rapidly and intensively.     

Relationships among team ability composition, team mental models, and team performance.

This study examined the relationship between the similarity and accuracy of team mental models and compared the extent to which each predicted team performance. The relationship between team ability composition and team mental models was also investigated. Eighty-three dyadic teams worked on a complex skill task in a 2-week training protocol. Results indicated that although similarity and accuracy of team mental models were significantly related, accuracy was a stronger predictor of team performance. In addition, team ability was more strongly related to the accuracy than to the similarity of team mental models and accuracy partially mediated the relationship between team ability and team performance, but similarity did not. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Facial injuries in hockey players

As otolaryngologists become more involved with maxillofacial trauma, we are encountering an increasing number of athletic injuries. Ice hockey accounts for a large number of these facial injuries. The fast moving and random nature of the game, frequent body and equipment contact and lack of protective devices, predisposes the hockey player to facial injury. Because of the roughly tenfold increase in hockey participation over the last decade, the problem of facial injury prevention has become a significant public health problem in North America. Review of the medical literature shows a paucity of interest in the subject of facial injury prevention in hockey. Several articles have dealt with ocular injury, while other articles have dealt with the general subject of hockey injury with only scant attention paid to the facial area. A retrospective study was carried out to more clearly define the scope of the facial injury problem. Four levels of hockey play were examined. Individuals from the youngest and most inexperienced to seasoned professionals were studied. An individually completed questionnaire was received from players in each group. It is the purpose of this paper to indicate the rates of injury for the various types of facial trauma, present their mechanisms of occurrence and discuss means of preventing facial injury in hockey players.     

An examination of organizational and team commitment in a self-directed team environment.

A model hypothesizing differential relationships among predictor variables and individual commitment to the organization and work team was tested. Data from 485 members of sewing teams supported the existence of differential relationships between predictors and organizational and team commitment. In particular, intersender conflict and satisfaction with coworkers were more strongly related to team commitment than to organizational commitment. Resource-related conflict and satisfaction with supervision were more strongly related to organizational commitment than to team commitment. Perceived task interdependence was strongly related to both commitment foci. Contrary to prediction, the relationships between perceived task interdependence and the 2 commitment foci were not significantly different. Relationships with antecedent variables help explain how differential levels of commitment to the 2 foci may be formed. Indirect effects of exogenous variables are reported. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Transformational leadership and team innovation: Integrating team climate principles.

Fostering team innovation is increasingly an important leadership function. However, the empirical evidence for the role of transformational leadership in engendering team innovation is scarce and mixed. To address this issue, the authors link transformational leadership theory to principles of M. A. West's (1990) team climate theory and propose an integrated model for the relationship between transformational leadership and team innovation. This model involves support for innovation as a mediating process and climate for excellence as a moderator. Results from a study of 33 research and development teams confirmed that transformational leadership works through support for innovation, which in turn interacts with climate for excellence such that support for innovation enhances team innovation only when climate for excellence is high. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived control, coping efficacy, and avoidance coping as mediators between spousal unsupportive behaviors and psychological distress.

This study examined whether avoidance, coping efficacy, and perceived control mediate the effects of spouses" unsupportive behaviors on patient psychological distress among 191 married individuals enrolled in cancer treatment. Results of the structural equation analyses suggested that avoidance and coping efficacy mediated the relationship between spouses" unsupportive behaviors and patient psychological distress. Perceived control of emotional aspects of the illness, including emotional responses and relationships with family and friends, and perceived control of the medical course of the cancer did not mediate the relationship between spouses" unsupportive behaviors and patient psychological distress. These findings suggest 2 mechanisms to explain why unsupportive responses from spouses may be associated with psychological distress among cancer patients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived organizational support.

Administered a survey of perceived organizational support (SPOS) to 361 employees (among them postal clerks, financial trust company employees, and manufacturing firm workers) and 71 private high school teachers in 2 studies. Teachers also completed an exchange-ideology questionnaire that measured their belief that work effort should depend on treatment by the organization. Results show that (a) employees in an organization form global beliefs concerning the extent to which the organization values their contributions and cares about their well-being, (b) such perceived organizational support reduces absenteeism, and (c) the relation between perceived organizational support and absenteeism is greater for employees with a strong exchange ideology than those with a weak ideology. These findings support the social exchange view that employees' commitment to the organization is strongly influenced by their perception of the organization's commitment to them. Perceived organizational support is assumed to increase the employee's affective attachment to the organization and his/her expectancy that greater effort toward meeting organizational goals will be rewarded. It is concluded that the extent to which these factors increase work effort depends on the strength of the employee's exchange ideology favoring the trade of work effort for material and symbolic benefits. (38 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Birthdate and success in minor hockey: The key to the NHL.

Analyzed the birthdates of 7,313 young Canadian hockey players in the 1983–1984 season. It was found that players possessing a relative age advantage (born in the months of January–June) were more likely to participate in minor hockey and more likely to play for top teams than players born in July–December and thereby disadvantaged by their relative age. Proposals for reducing these relative age effects are considered. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived stress and diabetes control in adolescents.

Monitored insulin administration, dietary intake, and exercise levels of 22 female and 17 male diabetic adolescents (mean age 13.8 yrs). Measures of blood glucose and perceived minor stressors were also obtained. The best index of stress was one in which number and magnitude of negative stressors were combined into a cumulative stress measure. Negative cumulative stress significantly correlated with blood glucose levels after controlling for the effects of insulin, diet, and exercise. In addition, diabetes control tended to be better when Ss, particularly boys, adjusted well to negative stress. Findings suggest that minor stressors can influence health outcome, but positive and negative stress need to be assessed independently. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Modifiers and Perceived Stress Scale.

Investigated the interrelations between perceived stress and its modifiers (anticipation of events, responsibility for events, and amount of social support from friends and family) and total or averaged scores on a modifiers and perceived stress (MAPS) scale and obtained data on reliability and validity of the MAPS. Factor analysis of total and average scores of 302 men (average age 52 yrs) for these areas identified 4 dimensions: Total and average anticipated and responsible scores loaded on 1 dimension, number of events and total perceived stress loaded on another, the 2 support scores loaded on a 3rd factor, and average perceived stress loaded independently on a factor. Two-week test–retest reliabilities for scores were in the moderate to high range. Independent assessments of stress by social workers correlated significantly with the total perceived stress score and with average perceived stress score. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived and actual change in job satisfaction.

Analysis of identified questionnaire data collected from 196 office employees at the start and end of a 6-mo period showed that change in overall job satisfaction as perceived at the end was a very poor, though statistically significant, proxy measure of change as computed from initial and terminal reports on levels of satisfaction. Perceived change in job satisfaction had zero regression on initial satisfaction but regressed very significantly on terminal satisfaction and on change in 14 job aspects as perceived at the end of the period. The findings cast serious doubts on the usefulness of the quasilongitudinal design in studies of the impact of technological and organizational changes upon job satisfaction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stimulus and response fidelity in team training.

Transfer performance of 2-man teams was observed in a simulated radar-controlled aerial intercept task following either high or low stimulus (S-) fidelity and either high or low response (R-) fidelity training treatments. Both high S- and high R-fidelity training treatments resulted in superior transfer task performance; however, the effects of high R-fidelity training were relatively brief. It was concluded that whereas both are desirable, it is less important to provide high R-fidelity training at least for tasks where the major output requires verbal communication skills. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Understanding team innovation: The role of team processes and structures.

The present study focused on innovation of teams, examining the contributions of team interaction processes (exchanging information, learning, motivating, and negotiating) and structures (functional heterogeneity and frequency of meetings) to innovation. Specifically, it was hypothesized that (a) team structures will be positively related to team innovation, (b) team heterogeneity will be positively related to team interaction processes, (c) team interaction processes will be positively related to team innovation, and (d) team interaction processes will mediate the relationship between team heterogeneity and team innovation. Results from a sample of 48 intact teams in elementary and secondary schools supported the main hypotheses. These results imply that the development of mutual interaction processes is a crucial mechanism for translating team heterogeneity into innovation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Age and management team performance.

180 male managers participated as age-homogeneous 4-person teams in a validated all-day decision-making simulation. 15 teams consisted of 28–35 yr old participants (young), 15 teams were in the 45–55 yrs age range (middle-aged), and 15 teams consisted of 65–75 yr old (older) persons. More than 40 objective performance measures (loading on 12–25 factors) were calculated on the basis of team decision making, planning, and other indicators. Performance by young and middle-aged teams was generally similar. Older teams made fewer decisions and were less strategic and less responsive to incoming information. Their overview of the task was less broad; action diversity and information search was reduced. However, older teams used opportunities and handled a simulated emergency as effectively as their younger and middle-aged counterparts. Alternative explanations for the obtained differences are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)