The Team Building-Task Performance Relation: Some Conceptual and Methodological Refinements

Abstract

Previous research is inconclusive regarding the effects of team building on task performance. Two reasons for these findings are that team building has not been clearly defined and team building research has been inadequate from a methodologicaL standpoint. This article provides a conceptual definition of team building and proposes a preliminary theoretical model describing its relation to performance. Methodological issues are discussed and suggestions are made for improving the quality of team building research.