The Cognitive Underpinnings of Effective Teamwork: A Meta-Analysis

    Authors

    L. A. DeChurch;J. R. Mesmer-Magnus

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    J. Appl. Psychol.

    Keywords

    team cognition; mental model; transactive memory; shared cognition; meta-analysis; SHARED MENTAL MODELS; TRANSACTIVE MEMORY-SYSTEMS; GROUP DECISION-MAKING; TOP MANAGEMENT TEAMS; STRATEGIC CONSENSUS; GROUP-PERFORMANCE; MODERATING; ROLE; MEDIATING ROLE; KNOWLEDGE; INTERDEPENDENCE; Psychology, Applied; Management

    Abstract

    Major theories of team effectiveness position emergent collective cognitive processes as central drivers of team performance. We meta-analytically cumulated 231 correlations culled from 65 independent studies of team cognition and its relations to teamwork processes, motivational states, and performance outcomes. We examined both broad relationships among cognition, behavior, motivation, and performance, as well as 3 underpinnings of team cognition as potential moderators of these relationships. Findings reveal there is indeed a cognitive foundation to teamwork; team cognition has strong positive relationships to team behavioral process, motivational states, and team performance. Meta-analytic regressions further indicate that team cognition explains significant incremental variance in team performance after the effects of behavioral and motivational dynamics have been controlled. The nature of emergence, form of cognition, and content of cognition moderate relationships among cognition, process, and performance, as do task interdependence and team type. Taken together, these findings not only cumulate extant research on team cognition but also provide a new interpretation of the impact of underlying dimensions of cognition as a way to frame and extend future research.

    Journal Title

    Journal of Applied Psychology

    Volume

    95

    Issue/Number

    1

    Publication Date

    1-1-2010

    Document Type

    Review

    Language

    English

    First Page

    32

    Last Page

    53

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000273666000002

    ISSN

    0021-9010

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