Investigation of team processes that enhance team performance in business organization

Abstract

Many researchers have suggested team processes that enhance team performance. However, past team process models were based on crew team, whose all team members perform an indivisible temporary task. These models may be inapplicable business teams, whose individual members perform middle- and long-term tasks assigned to individual members. This study modified the teamwork model of Dickinson and McIntyre (1997) and aimed to demonstrate a whole team process that enhances the performance of business teams. We surveyed five companies (member N = 1,400, team N = 161) and investigated team-level processes. Results showed that there were two sides of team processes: “communication” and “collaboration to achieve a goal.” Team processes in which communication enhanced collaboration improved team performance with regard to all aspects of the quantitative objective index (e.g. current income and number of sales), supervisor rating, and self-rating measurements. On the basis of these results, we discuss the entire process by which teamwork enhances team performance in business organizations.