Evaluation of the Team Workload Questionnaire (TWLQ) in a Team-Choice Task

Abstract

Objective: The present study was designed to evaluate the team workload questionnaire (TWLQ) in a task that was distinct from the task used to create it. Background: The TWLQ was created from workload ratings generated by members of athletic sports teams. Given that such teams represent only a portion of the diversity of operational teams, we aimed to assess the generalizability of the TWLQ. Method: The present study applied the TWLQ in a collaborative choice task (hiring decision) to determine whether the factor structure reported in the initial publication of the scale would generalize from the execution tasks it was developed from to a disparate team task focused on consensus building. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the present data ( N = 144) were a poor fit for the three-factor structure of the TWLQ. Subsequent exploratory factor analysis revealed a much more interrelated model of team workload with no clear division between the three conceptual factors described in the original validation of the TWLQ. Conclusion: The factor structure of the TWLQ did not generalize to the present team-choice task. Application: Given that the duties of operational teams vary, it is critical that future research examine how the conceptual structure of team workload may be altered by task type.