Shared Positive Emotion and Team Effectiveness

초록

Purpose This study explored how positive emotion shared among team members influenced team effectiveness (team creativity, decision-quality, member satisfaction and learning). In addition, this study examined how member interactions that are cognitively broadening and building social resources mediated the relationship between shared positive emotion and team effectiveness. Design/Methodology/Approach A laboratory experiment was conducted with 72 work teams, and analysis of variance(ANOVA) and hierarchical multiple regression analysis were performed to test the hypotheses. Finding The results showed that, as hypothesized, teams experiencing a shared positive emotion of joy exhibited more frequent broadening-and-building interactions (i.e., building on each other’s ideas, morale-building communication, and active affirmation) than those experiencing neutral emotions. Broadening-and-building interactions, in turn, have been found to increase team creativity and members’ satisfaction with the team but decreased team decision quality. Research Implications This study developed and tested broadening-and-building interactions as a key mechanism linking team shared emotions and outcomes. The main results indicate the importance of managing and cultivating team emotions and member interactions to achieve desirable team outcomes. In addition, teams may self-diagnose how effective member interactions are in achieving team goals, and create intervention opportunities. The focus on the emotional aspect of teams advances our understanding of team socio-emotional processes, a critical yet under-explored territory.

키워드