The impact of coaching and reflective learning journals on team functionality and task performance
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to contribute to a better understanding of how teams evolve over time in two different ways: internally, in their team functionality; and externally, in their task performance and outcomes. The researcher was particularly interested in studying how interventions in teams, like coaching and reflective learning journaling, could affect team functionality and team task performance. At the beginning of the study, the researcher believed that giving working teams feedback on their functionality could improve their functionality, as well as their task performance; and that teams who received feedback and worked with an external coach to improve their functionality would improve their task performance and functionality compared to the teams who only received feedback about its functionality and worked alone to improve it (journaling). At the end of the study and based on the findings, it was determined that teams reduced their dysfunctions as a function of time, despite the type of intervention (journaling or journaling plus coaching) that they received. Thus, the interventions given during the semester did not have any effect on team functionality or team task performance. It was determined that there was no correlation between task performance and the level of team functionality, but that there was a correlation between different team dysfunctions over time. As students worked in teams throughout the semester, their team functionality increased for all three groups (with and without intervention). From these results it can be inferred that teams do become more functional with teamwork experience. In the sixteen-week course, teams greatly improved on four of the dysfunctions as a function of time. Therefore, if students are given more teamwork experience, it will improve the way they work and perform as team members and ultimately improve overall team function.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Peters, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Business education|Management
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