An integrated model of team resilience: exploring the roles of team sensemaking, team bricolage and task interdependence

Abstract

PurposeThe contemporary organizational environment calls for work team members to be more resilient in the face of likely setbacks, which are routinely experienced at the workplace. In two separate studies of work teams, we examine the impact of team sensemaking on team bricolage and subsequently, on team resilience. These studies further investigate whether task interdependence moderates the mediation of team bricolage for the relationship between team sensemaking and team resilience. In brief, these two studies conceptualize and test the relevance of team sensemaking, team bricolage and task interdependence for team resilience.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 213 team members participated in the self-administered survey for Study 1. For Study 2, a second sample collected from 81 teams, elicited team-level data by consensus among team members.FindingsFindings show that team sensemaking as an antecedent has a significant and positive impact on team resilience. The results also show how and when the relationship between team sensemaking and team resilience is facilitated through an underlying mechanism of team bricolage in the presence of task interdependence among team members. This research improves the understanding about the relationship between team sensemaking and team resilience by examining the underlying mechanism and boundary condition under which the relationship is the strongest.Practical implicationsThese findings have important implications for human resource managers. In face of adverse events, team sensemaking plays a pivotal role as it can enable team members to have better situational awareness, communication and reflection. Team sensemaking can be further facilitated for improved team resilience by embedding bricolage and task interdependence components in the employee orientation, job description and training of potential and current employees.Originality/valueThese findings demonstrate that in the wake of adverse events, team sensemaking can play a pivotal role as it enables team members to have better situational awareness, communication and reflection. For team resilience, the findings imply that team sensemaking can be further facilitated by team bricolage in the presence of task interdependence in work teams. Thus, managers of modern work teams and organizations can sensitize team members about these aspects through employee orientation, job description and on and off job training activities.

Achieving environmental sustainability through green transformational leadership policy: Can green team resilience help?

“…Teams with collective resilience have been noted to favorably adapt to challenges (Stoverink, Kirkman, Mistry, & Rosen, 2020). For example, resilient teams have positive qualities like collective optimism and an energetic outlook (Morgan, Fletcher, & Sarkar, 2017), inquisitiveness, and openness to new frontiers (Talat & Riaz, 2020). Team resilience in adaptive form to green‐related challenges will cope effectively to green‐related challenges and challenging the status quo.…”

Bridge Over Troubled Water: Shared Understanding Bridges Individual and Collective Resources in Developing Team Resilience in Professional Football

“…Creating dialogues to discuss challenging situations through strengthening communication channels (Kegelaers et al, 2020 ), is shown to capture more implicit elements in coordinating actions. Talat and Riaz ( 2020 ) suggest utilising team member bricolage as a combination of resources at hand in the team in order to develop the sensemaking of a team. One player elaborates his view on utilising small-sized group structures, explaining his belief in discussion and collaboration while debriefing and planning actions through video-analysis reflections of handling challenging situations:…”

“…Different views might be beneficial for developing the sensemaking managing and coordinating the effort of the team by explaining and anticipating situations (Talat and Riaz, 2020 ), but as the player reflection shows, shared understanding needs agreement. In line with the suggestions of Morgan et al ( 2019 ), enablers such as shared vision, encouragement of honest feedback, and distributed responsibility are found to cultivate such mutual trust during difficult periods.…”

“…Investigating work teams, Talat and Riaz ( 2020 ), claimed team sensemaking has a significant impact on team resilience. This implies that teams manage and coordinate effort through explaining current situations and anticipating future situations in ambiguous and uncertain conditions.…”

“…This implies that teams manage and coordinate effort through explaining current situations and anticipating future situations in ambiguous and uncertain conditions. They suggest utilising team member bricolage as a combination of resources at hand in the team while developing resilience in a work context (Talat and Riaz, 2020 ). In professional football, players are expected to fulfil competence in roles and develop behavioural actions coordinated with interdependent team members (Gucciardi et al, 2018 ).…”