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Understanding the development of team identification: A qualitative study in UN peacebuilding teams
Journal
Journal of Business and Psychology
ISSN
0889-3268
ISSN-Digital
1573-353X
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2017-04-01
Author(s)
Abstract
Purpose: The goal of our study was to scrutinize the psychological processes that occur in individuals when developing identification with a highly diverse team.
Design/Methodology/Approach: A qualitative, theorygenerating approach following the principles of grounded theory was chosen as research design. Data were obtained from 63 personal interviews with members of seven UN peacebuilding teams in Liberia and Haiti. These teams were particularly well suited for analyzing the dynamics of identification processes as they constitute extreme cases with respect to team members' identity diversity.
Findings: Our analysis reveals four different processes that occur as individuals develop team identification (TI): enacting a salient identity, sensemaking about team experience, evaluating collective team outcomes, and converging identity.
Implications: We can show that team members engage in both individual- and collective-directed sensemaking processes during TI development, thereby using internal (i.e., other team members) and external points of reference (i.e., team-external actors) for ingroup/outgroup comparisons. Moreover, our study reveals different modes of identity convergence (i.e., active, reactive, and withdrawal) which are associated with different types of TI (i.e., deep-structured TI, situated TI, and disidentification).
Originality/Value: Although team members' identification with their workgroup has long been considered important for effective team functioning, knowledge about its development has remained limited and largely without empirical footing from a real-world team context. Our study represents the first empirical attempt to inductively identify the processes that occur in individuals as they
develop TI.
Design/Methodology/Approach: A qualitative, theorygenerating approach following the principles of grounded theory was chosen as research design. Data were obtained from 63 personal interviews with members of seven UN peacebuilding teams in Liberia and Haiti. These teams were particularly well suited for analyzing the dynamics of identification processes as they constitute extreme cases with respect to team members' identity diversity.
Findings: Our analysis reveals four different processes that occur as individuals develop team identification (TI): enacting a salient identity, sensemaking about team experience, evaluating collective team outcomes, and converging identity.
Implications: We can show that team members engage in both individual- and collective-directed sensemaking processes during TI development, thereby using internal (i.e., other team members) and external points of reference (i.e., team-external actors) for ingroup/outgroup comparisons. Moreover, our study reveals different modes of identity convergence (i.e., active, reactive, and withdrawal) which are associated with different types of TI (i.e., deep-structured TI, situated TI, and disidentification).
Originality/Value: Although team members' identification with their workgroup has long been considered important for effective team functioning, knowledge about its development has remained limited and largely without empirical footing from a real-world team context. Our study represents the first empirical attempt to inductively identify the processes that occur in individuals as they
develop TI.
Language
English
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
No
Publisher
Springer
Publisher place
New York, NY
Volume
32
Number
2
Start page
217
End page
234
Subject(s)
Division(s)
Eprints ID
248350