Yang, J. S., and Tsai, L. C. 2024. Team Development Process: Its Nature and Influencing Factors. NTU Management Review, 34 (2): 1-44. https://doi.org/10.6226/NTUMR.202408_34(2).0001
Jen-Shou Yang, Department of Business Administration, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology
Li-Ching Tsai, Department of Business Administration, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology
Abstract
How teams evolve is a topic of concern to researchers, and questions remain to be
answered. This study is based on two mainstream team development theories, i.e., the lifecycle model and the equilibrium model. The authors investigate three project teams in a hospital organization, adopt a qualitative cross-case comparison method, and explore the lifecycle process of team development and multi-level factors that affect the process. This study finds a non-linear phenomenon in team lifecycle development; task and relationship behaviors develop separately but interact with each other. The influencing factors of the process include relatedness between project tasks and team members' organizational roles, leadership, psychological safety, task interdependence, team constraints, and member churn. These factors can accelerate or delay the team development process. In addition, team quilibrium states tend to alter due to the evolution of social structure and resources. Finally, we develop research propositions for future research and practice.
Keywords
team development processtask behavior developmentrelationship behavior developmenthospital project team