Expecting the Unexpected: Using Team Charters to Handle Disruptions and Facilitate Team Performance

Expecting the Unexpected: Using Team Charters to Handle Disruptions and Facilitate Team Performance. Therese E. Sverdrup, Vidar Schei, and Øystein A. Tjølsen. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice 2017, Vol. 21, No. 1, 53–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/gdn0000059

Abstract: Teams are increasingly relied on to manage and adapt to a changing world. Previous studies have found adaptive teams to be less susceptible to disruptive events. In this study, we test whether or not the development of a team charter 2 weeks prior to a given task increases a team’s ability to adapt to disruptions and overall performance. We find that teams that develop team charters are better able to handle disruptive events, which in turn increases their performance.

Keywords: team charter, team adaptation, disruption, team performance, planning

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In this study, we examine the effects of establishing a team charter on a team’s ability to adapt to unforeseen triggers or disruptions. More specifically, we test whether there are any differences between teams that have established team charters and teams that have not in terms of their ability to adapt to disruptions and related performance. The study’s predictions are based on the literature on team charters and adaptation. We argue that for teams to be adaptive and resilient in facing the unexpected, the establishment of a team charter is advantageous.

The team charter literature, wherein various teams have been examined extensively over time, has found events occurring early in a team’s life span to have long-lasting effects (Gersick, 1988, 1989; Gersick & Hackman, 1990). Thus, it can be assumed that a team will benefit from developing specific guidelines upon its establishment for better team performance. A small number of studies have examined the relationship between the establishment of team charters and team performance. These studies have shown student teams to perceive both increased satisfaction and performance upon developing team charters (Aaron, McDowell, & Herdman, 2014; Byrd & Luthy, 2010; Cox & Bobrowski, 2000, 2004; Hunsaker, Pavett, & Hunsaker, 2011). In a longitudinal study, Mathieu and Rapp (2009) found that teams that had developed high quality team charters and performance strategies during their establishment phases performed better during their life spans. Such studies show that the development of team charters may result in better performance. However, to our knowledge, no study has tested the effects of a team charter by comparing teams that have established team charters and teams that have not in an experimental setting.