Trust is gaining attention for its benefits to both teams and organizations as a whole (Fulmer & Gelfand, 2012). The difficulty of building it in comparison to the ease of destroying it calls for a deeper understanding of trust, as well as its relationship with critical team outcomes (Colquitt, LePine, Piccolo, Zapata, & Rich, 2012). Unfortunately, current research has progressed in a disjointed manner that requires the integration of findings before a more parsimonious and descriptive understanding of trust at the team-level can be developed. Beyond this basic understanding, research is needed to explore the nature of trust in teams comprised of diverse members, as multi-national, multi-cultural, and interdisciplinary teams are increasingly characterizing the modern landscape. Thus, this article uses meta-analytic techniques to examine the extent to which mutual trust can serve as an underlying mechanism that drives the diversity-team performance relationship. First, surface-level and deep-level diversity characteristics varied in their impact on trust. Value diversity emerged as the most detrimental, along with the moderating effect of time. Second, 95 independent samples comprising 5,721 teams emphasized the importance of trust to team performance with a moderate and positive relationship. Third, mediation analyses answered recent calls (e.g., van Knippenberg & Schippers, 2007) to examine underlying mechanisms that can explain the diversity-outcomes relationship. This showed age, gender, value, and function diversity to be related to performance through mutual trust. Furthermore, this study explores whether contextual (e.g., team distribution) as well as measurement (e.g., referent) issues pose systematic differences in the diversity-trust and trust-performance relationships. Surprisingly, the construct of trust at the team-level proved to be generalizable across a number of unique conditions. In addition to this extensive quantitative review, implications and future research are discussed.

This dissertation evaluates the relationship between five team knowledge building processes (i.e., information exchange, knowledge sharing, option generation, evaluation of alternatives, and regulation), the external representations constructed by a team during a performance episode, and performance outcomes in a problem solving task. In a broad range of domains such as the military, and healthcare, team-based work structures used to solve complex problems; however, the bulk of research on teamwork to date has dealt with behavioral coordination in routine tasks. This leaves a gap in the theory available for developing interventions to support collaborative problem solving, or knowledge-based performance, in teams. Sixty nine three person teams participated in a strategic planning simulation using a collaborative map. Content analysis was applied to team communications and the external representations team members created using the collaborative tool. Regression and multi-way frequency analyses were used to test hypotheses about the relationship between the amount and sequence of team process behaviors respectively and team performance outcomes. Additionally, the moderating effects of external representation quality were evaluated. All five team knowledge building processes were significantly related to outcomes, but only one (i.e., knowledge sharing) in the simple, positive, and linear way hypothesized. Information exchange was negatively related to outcomes after controlling for the amount of acknowledgements team members made. Option generation and evaluation interacted to predict outcomes such that higher levels of evaluation were more beneficial to teams with higher levels of option generation. Regulation processes exhibited a negative curvilinear relationship with outcomes such that high and low performing teams engaged in less regulation than did moderately performing teams. External representation quality moderated a composite team knowledge building process variable such that better external representations were more beneficial for teams with poorer quality processes than for teams with high quality process. Additionally, there were significant differences in the sequence of team knowledge building processes between high and low performing teams as well as between groups based on high and low levels of external representation quality. The team knowledge building process framework is useful for understanding complex collaborative problem solving. However, these processes predict performance outcomes in complex and inter-related ways. Further implications for theories of team performance and applications for training, designing performance support tools, and team performance measurement are discussed.

Recruiting is a major component of college football. Teams compete for recruits since the quality of a recruiting class contributes to on-field success. Previous studies have investigated the relationship between recruit quality and on-field performance and have found that a positive relationship exists. This thesis contributes to the literature by empirically examining how recruit quality affects team performance in the College Football Playoff (CFP) era using various measures of success. Panel data econometric models are used to determine the effect of recruits between schools, as well as within both conferences and schools on team performance. It also considers the validity of the use of an ex-ante star recruit rating as well as the hypothesis that team success each year will affect future success since high quality recruits are expected to choose teams with a history of winning. The results show that a direct relationship exists between recruit quality and team performance. Moreover, the results support that the ex-ante star rating is a predictor of athletic performance at the collegiate level and that high-quality recruits affect revenues generated by football programs.

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This paper examines the short-term effect on team performance after dismissing the head coach mid-season in the two highest football leagues in Sweden. The effect was assessed using a difference-in-differences estimation in which a treatment group is compared to a control group before and after the initiation of the treatment. On average the teams changing their coach improved their performance under the new coach, though compared to the control group no significant difference was found. However, some significant (10%- level) differences were found when separating the teams depending on which league they belong to, with a small positive effect for teams in Allsvenskan and a small negative effect for the teams in Superettan. Nonetheless, the overall conclusion from this analysis is that dismissing the coach mid-season does not have any substantial impact on team performance in the short-term. / I denna rapport utreds den kortsiktiga effekten på ett fotbollslags prestation efter att de bytt tränare mitt under säsongen i de två högsta divisionerna inom svensk fotboll. Effekten undersöktes med hjälp av en difference-in-differences estimering som är en metod där en behandlingsgrupp, i detta fall lag som byter tränare, jämförs med en kontrollgrupp före och efter behandlingen. I genomsnitt förbättrade lagen som bytte tränare sin prestation under den nya tränaren men jämfört med kontrollgruppen kunde ingen skillnad ses. Dock syntes en viss signifikant (10\%-nivån) skillnad när lagen separerades beroende på vilken liga de tillhör, med en liten positiv effekt för lag i Allsvenskan och en liten negativ effekt för lag i Superettan. Trots denna lilla skillnad är slutsatsen av denna analys att ett tränarbyte mitt under säsongen inte har någon större kortsiktig effekt på lagets prestation.

In today’s workplace, teams are complex, ever-changing, and heavily influenced by team diversity. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Programs aim to increase the demographic representation of underrepresented groups, which invariably influences team composition and, ultimately, team dynamics. An organization should focus DEI efforts on the needs of a diverse team, given the existing research that shows that organizational diversity influences organizational dynamics and performance (e.g., (Li et al., 2018). Nonetheless, the literature regarding the relationship between team diversity and team dynamics is deficient. Research regarding the relationship between team diversity and team performance is inconclusive and inconsistent (van Knippenberg et al., 2004). Henceforth, my study objectives were to examine how diversity - demographic characteristics (gender, ethnicity, age) and cognitive characteristics (education and functional) influenced team processes (conflict and information sharing) and team performance. I used surveys to gather information about individual diversity. Using correlational and moderated multiple regression analyses, I examined relationships. Ethnic representation demonstrated a negative relationship with information sharing, while gender diversity demonstrated a positive relationship with information sharing. Age diversity and team tenure demonstrated positive relationships with team task performance. Additionally, I determined that different methods of calculating diversity impacted the results. This study showed that team diversity could explain team processes and team performance.Keywords: Diversity, Team Performance, Diversity Climate, Inclusive Leadership / Business Administration/Interdisciplinary

In today's globalized world, effective communication and cross-cultural collaboration are essentialfor success, particularly within multicultural teams. This thesis investigates the intricate interplaybetween language proficiency, cross-cultural adaptability, and team performance in the context ofmulticultural teams. Addressing gaps in understanding how language proficiency and crossculturaladaptability impact cross-cultural communication and team performance withinmultinational corporations in Sweden, this study utilizes structured surveys distributed amongemployees in Swedish multinational corporations with at least one year of work experience. Atotal of 117 employees participated in the initial survey distribution, with 103 valid responsesincluded in the final analysis. This study’s findings shed light on the nuanced influence of language proficiency and culturaladaptability on team performance in multicultural settings. While language proficiencydemonstrates a positive correlation with team performance (β=0.247), its impact appears lesspronounced when English, as a second language, becomes the common communication ground.Conversely, cultural adaptability exhibits a strong positive correlation with team performance(β=0.663), highlighting its critical role in navigating the complexities of diverse teams. Thesefindings suggest that in multicultural environments where a shared second language is used,fostering cultural adaptability may be particularly important for maximizing team performance. This research contributes to the understanding of language proficiency and cross-culturaladaptability within multicultural teams, offering insights for optimizing team dynamics andfostering collaboration in diverse work settings. By recognizing the complexities of languageproficiency and its interaction with team dynamics, organizations can enhance their effectivenessin a globalized business environment.

Ausgangspunkt der Arbeit bildete die Bedeutung von Teamreflexionsprozessen für die Weiterentwicklung und Leistungsfähigkeit von Projektteams. Nach der Theorie der Teamreflexivität von West (1996, 2000) spielen regelmäßige Reflexionsprozesse eine besondere Rolle bei der Anpassung an steigende Herausforderungen der Teamarbeit und stehen in einem direkten Verhältnis zum Teamerfolg in komplexen und dynamischen Arbeitsfeldern, wie sie im Projektkontext anzutreffen sind. Eine Reihe empirischer Studien bestätigt, dass sich Teamreflexionsprozesse positiv auf das Arbeitsergebnis von Teams auswirken. Allerdings existieren nur wenige Erkenntnisse darüber, auf welche Faktoren der Nutzen von kollektiven Reflexionsprozessen zurückzuführen ist und wie sich kontinuierliche Reflexionsprozesse im Zeitverlauf auswirken. Die vorliegende Arbeit knüpfte an diesen Forschungslücken an und verfolgte das Ziel, neben dem direkten Einfluss indirekte Effekte von Teamreflexionsprozessen auf die Leistung von Projektteams im Längsschnitt zu untersuchen. Da sozial-kognitiven Prozessen eine zentrale Rolle bei der Wirkung von Teamreflexionsprozessen zugeschrieben wird, wurde das Konzept der mentalen Teammodelle (Cannon-Bowers, Salas & Converse, 1993; Klimosky & Mohammed, 1994) genutzt, um die Verbindung zwischen Teamreflexion und Teamleistung zu erglären. Mentale Teammodelle beschreiben die gemeinsamen Repräsentationen und das Wissen der Teammitglieder über teamrelevante Gegebenheiten und wirken sich nachweislich positiv auf die Teamleistung aus. Je nach Inhaltsbereich werden Teammodelle in aufgabenbezogene und teamarbeitsbezogene Typen unterschieden (z.B. Mohammed, Ferzandi & Hamilton, 2010). Auf Grund der Bedeutung aufgabenbezogener Kognitionen bei der Bearbeitung komplexer und intellektuell anspruchsvoller Aufgaben in Projektteams, wurden in der vorliegenden Arbeit die mentalen Aufgabenmodelle der Teammitglieder als Mediatoren zwischen Teamreflexion und Teamleistung beleuchtet. Dabei wurde angenommen, dass sowohl die Ähnlichkeit (Übereinstimmung zwischen den Teammitgliedern) als auch die Qualität der Aufgabenmodelle den Einfluss von Teamreflexion auf die Teamleistung erklären können. Aufbauend auf den postulierten Zusammenhänge zwischen Teamreflexion, der Ähnlichkeit und Qualität der mentalen Aufgabenmodelle (Mediatoren) und der Teamleistung wurde ein Forschungsmodell abgeleitet und mit Forschungshypothesen unterlegt. In dem Modell wurden sequentielle Aspekte mit berücksichtigt und die Wirkung von wiederholt stattfindenden Teamreflexionen im Zeitverlauf betrachtet. Mit einer experimentellen Untersuchung (Experimental-Kontrollgruppen-Design mit Messwiederholung) wurde das Forschungsmodell empirisch überprüft. Im Rahmen dieser Studie bearbeiteten 22 studentische Projektteams eine zweitägige Fallstudie zum Themenbereich Personalauswahl. Die Analyse der Teamergebnisse belegte direkt positive Effekte von gemeinsamen Reflexionsprozessen auf die Teamleistung, welche vermittelt wurden durch die Qualität der mentalen Aufgabenmodelle. Wider erwartend konnte der indirekte Effekt durch die Ähnlichkeit der Aufgabenmodelle nicht nachgewiesen werden. Teamreflexionen wirken sich positiv auf die Ähnlichkeit aus, diese hatte jedoch keinen signifikanten Einfluss auf die Teamleistung. Des Weiteren konnte gezeigt werden, dass wiederholt durchgeführte Reflexionsprozesse zu einer Zunahme der Teamleistung und zu einem Anstieg in der Qualität der Aufgabenmodelle im Zeitverlauf führten. Dieses Ergebnis ist ein erster empirischer Beleg für die Bedeutung der Kontinuität von Teamreflexionsprozessen für die Weiterentwicklung von Teams. Zusammenfassend konkretisierte die vorliegende Arbeit, wie und warum Teamreflexionsprozesse auf die Leistung von Projektteams im Zeitverlauf wirken. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass die positiven Effekte von Teamreflexion auf eine Verbesserung in der Qualität der Aufgabenvorstellungen der Teammitglieder zurückgeführt werden können. Des Weiteren wurde deutlich, dass regelmäßig durchgeführte Teamreflexionen zu einer Steigerung der Leistungsfähigkeit im Zeitverlauf führen. Damit trägt die vorliegende Arbeit zu einem besseren Verständnis der Wirkungsweise von Teamreflexionsprozessen bei.

Shared mental models (SMM) and Transactive memory systems (TMS) have been advocated as the main team learning mechanisms. Despite multiple appeals for collaboration, research in both these fields has progressed in parallel and little effort has been made to integrate these theories. The purpose of this study was to test the relationship between SMM and TMS in a field setting and examine their influence on various team effectiveness outcomes such as team performance, team learning, team creativity, team members' satisfaction and team viability. Contextual factors relevant to an organizational setting were tested and these included team size, tenure, country of origin, team reward and organizational support. Based on responses from 41 teams from 7 industries across two countries (US and India), results indicate that team size, country of origin and team tenure impact team performance and team learning. In addition, team reward and organizational support predicted team viability and satisfaction. Results indicated that TMS components (specialization, coordination and credibility) were better predictors of team outcomes than the omnibus TMS construct. In particular, TMS credibility predicted team performance and creativity while TMS coordination predicted team viability and satisfaction. SMM was measured in two different ways: an average deviation index and a 6-item scale. Both methods resulted in a conceptually similar interpretation although average deviation indices provided slightly better results in predicting effectiveness outcomes. TMS components moderated the relationship between SMM and team outcomes. Team performance was lowest when both SMM and TMS were low. However, contrary to expectations, high levels of SMM did not always result in effective team outcomes (performance, learning and creativity) especially when teams exhibited high TMS specialization and credibility. An interaction pattern was observed under conditions of low levels of SMM such that high TMS resulted in higher levels of team outcomes. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.