Profiles of Cohesion in Ad-Hoc Teams: Impact of Experience and Psychological Traits
Abstract
In many situations, a set of individuals unfamiliar with each other are brought together to complete a task. The success of these ad hoc groups can have a great impact, such as successfully treating a trauma patient on-site. Research has provided evidence that cohesion can vary across groups and may be influenced by individual differences in psychological traits of members. However, these studies have typically focused on the cohesion and performance of teams over relatively long time-scales (e.g., weeks) and with infrequent assessments (e.g., once per session). This leaves open questions regarding the extent to which cohesion dynamically changes as a team performs a task. The proposed research examines the extent to which cohesion changes during a team-based task and is influenced psychological traits. To do so, small ad hoc teams will complete a series of tasks during a single session. A continuous cohesion profile, that tracks changes in cohesion while tasks are being completed, will be constructed for each team using self- and observer- based ratings via a set of brief cohesion scales. Person- and item- centered statistical analyses will be conducted to evaluate the extent to which different typologies of cohesion profiles are present across groups and influenced by variations in psychological traits. The proposed research can provide insight into the real-time dynamics of cohesion as teams perform a task and inform models of team processes. Metrics and methods developed by the proposed research can be subsequently utilized by organizations that rely upon ad hoc groups.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jan 06, 2020
- Source ID
- W911NF1910123
Entities
People
- Justin Bonny
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- Morgan State University
- United States Army