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Team Performance Monitoring and Assessment

Background

 “The capturing of both individual and team levels of processes and performance, preferably from a dynamic lens where continual monitoring is available throughout a performance episode” (Shuffler et al., 2018, p. 12).

Team performance monitoring and assessment facilitates data-driven adjustments throughout the team’s work to improve team effectiveness and address ongoing concerns.

Signs that indicate a team might benefit from a team performance monitoring and assessment intervention include recurring communication breakdowns, uneven participation, errors going undetected, or if team members regularly underestimate their workload.

  • Shuffler, M. L., DiazGranados, D., Salas, E., & Coutu, D. L. (2018). Developing, sustaining, and maximizing team effectiveness—An integrative, dynamic perspective of team development interventions. Academy of Management Annals, 12(2), 688–724. https://doi.org/10.5465/annals.2016.0045

Relevant Readings

  • Andersson, D., Rankin, A., & Diptee, D. (2017). Approaches to team performance assessment: A comparison of self-assessment reports and behavioral observer scales. Cognition, Technology & Work, 19(2–3), 517–528. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10111-017-0428-0
    • Andersson et al. (2017) compare self-assessment reports (SAR) and behavioral observer scales (BOS) as ratings of virtual team performance. While overall results were similar, individual item correlations were low. Observers rated workload higher and more reliably linked it to performance. Both SAR and BOS predicted observer-rated performance, but neither strongly predicted task outcomes.
  • Marks, M. A., & Panzer, F. J. (2004). The influence of team monitoring on team processes and performance. Human Performance, 17(1), 25–41. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327043HUP1701_2
    • Marks and Panzer investigate how team members' monitoring of each other's actions influences team effectiveness. The researchers propose that observing teammates improves overall performance by fostering better coordination and the provision of feedback. Through a simulated flight combat exercise with 32 teams, the study found empirical support for their framework.
  • Marriage, B., & Kinnear, J. (2016). Assessing team performance – Markers and methods. Trends in Anaesthesia and Critical Care, 7–8, 11–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tacc.2016.05.002
    • Marriage and Kinnear (2016) highlight in this review that assessing teams improves their performance through feedback. Current assessment methods include observation of behavioral markers, self-assessment, event-based coding, and narrative field notes. Future assessment tools should measure processes, analyze performance, capture cognition, distinguish individual from collective behaviors, use trained raters, and link to learning objectives.