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Cited by 133Team Dynamics and PerformanceSport Psychology and PerformanceSocial and Intergroup Psychology

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 218 of the 218 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

The team cohesion-performance relationship: A meta-analysis exploring measurement approaches and the changing team landscape

Grossman, Rebecca, Nolan, Kevin, Rosch, Zachary, Mazer, David, Salas, Eduardo·2022·Organizational Psychology Review
DOI 10.1177/20413866211041157
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Abstract

Team cohesion is an important antecedent of team performance, but our understanding of this relationship is mired by inconsistencies in how cohesion has been conceptualized and measured. The nature of teams is also changing, and the effect of this change is unclear. By meta-analyzing the cohesion-performance relationship ( k = 195, n = 12,023), examining measurement moderators, and distinguishing modern and traditional team characteristics, we uncovered various insights. First, the cohesion-performance relationship varies based on degree of proximity. More proximal measures –task cohesion, referent-shift, and behaviorally-focused– show stronger relationships compared to social cohesion, direct consensus, and attitudinally-focused, which are more distal. Differences are more pronounced when performance metrics are also distal. Second, group pride is more predictive than expected. Third, the cohesion-performance relationship and predictive capacity of different measures are changing in modern contexts, but findings pertaining to optimal measurement approaches largely generalized. Lastly, important nuances across modern characteristics warrant attention in research and practice. Plain Language Summary: Team cohesion is an important antecedent of team performance, but our understanding of this relationship is mired by inconsistencies in how cohesion has been conceptualized and measured. The nature of teams has also changed over time, and the effect of this change is unclear. By meta-analyzing the cohesion-performance relationship ( k = 195, n = 12,023), examining measurement moderators, and distinguishing between modern and traditional team characteristics, we uncovered various insights for both research and practice. First, the cohesion-performance relationship varies based on degree of proximity. Measures that are more proximal to what a team does – those assessing task cohesion, utilizing referent shift items, and capturing behavioral manifestations of cohesion – show stronger relationships with performance compared to those assessing social cohesion, utilizing direct consensus items, and capturing attitudinal manifestations of cohesion, which are more distal. These differences are more pronounced when performance metrics are also more distal. Second, despite being understudied, the group pride-performance relationship was stronger than expected. Third, modern team characteristics are changing both the overall cohesion-performance relationship and the predictive capacity of different measurement approaches, but findings pertaining to the most optimal measurement approaches largely generalized in that these approaches were less susceptible to the influence of modern characteristics. However, in some contexts, distal cohesion metrics are just as predictive as their more proximal counterparts. Lastly, there are important nuances across different characteristics of modern teams that warrant additional research attention and should be considered in practice. Overall, findings greatly advance science and practice pertaining to the team cohesion-performance relationship.

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Metadata

Authors
Grossman, R., Nolan, K., Rosch, Z., Mazer, D., & Salas, E.
Affiliations
  • Hofstra University (US)
  • Rice University, USA
Corresponding author
Grossman, Rebecca
ORCID
Grossman, Rebecca
Venue
Organizational Psychology Review
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2021-09-09
Volume
12
Issue
2
Pages
181-238
ISSN
  • 2041-3866 (ISSN-L)
  • 2041-3874
DOI
10.1177/20413866211041157
OpenAlex
W3199995837
Cited by
133
References
218
Citations by year
2026: 41 · 2025: 37 · 2024: 28 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 4
FWCI
2.16
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
  • Organizational Psychology Review (publishedVersion)
  • Rice Research Repository (Rice University) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Team Dynamics and Performance
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Sport Psychology and Performance
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
Keywords
team cohesion, team performance, task cohesion, social cohesion, cohesion measurement, team characteristics, performance indicators, team diversity, team heterogeneity, team size, team leadership, team decision-making

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