The Science (and Practice) of Teamwork: A Commentary on Forty Years of Progress…

Abstract

Forty years ago, Dyer summarized team science research, finding that in many areas, we lacked theoretical backing and empirical evidence—sometimes to the point of meagerness. This commentary summarizes the last four decades of team research with Dyer’s seven leading questions—finding our progress far from scant. We have uncovered groundbreaking theories, moved past understanding teamwork as only the task, researched hundreds of team emergent states, and conducted vast meta-analytic research while continuing to uncover how to make teamwork more effective and what conditions foster greatness. We also find we continue to require work in other areas, from developing better methodological practices to considering teamwork’s dynamic nature. This commentary seeks to revisit team science’s most significant breakthroughs, such as the vast improvement of team training research, and weak spots, such as our continued lack of longitudinal research. By doing so, we highlight how much progress we can make together.