Team Performance: Mental Performance N+1

This chapter focuses on the contributions of team dynamics to performance, team performance theory, and team skills, along with how to assess and intervene to improve team performance. A team is not just a group of associated people. A team is “a distinguishable set of two or more people who interact, dynamically, interdependently, and adaptively toward a common and valued goal/objective/mission.” From this generally accepted definition it is clear that even individuals who are performing what appears to be a very individual effort, such as a writer or a pole vaulter, are impacted by the team around them that support their effort toward the shared objective. The impact on the individual is intensified as the interdependence of the individuals increases, as is the case with a football team or a specialized military unit. As such, it is important to prioritize team performance to maintain and improve individual mental performance. Focusing only on the outcome of a team’s task, i.e., the product of taskwork, may give a biased estimate for the performance of a team and provide little explanation for the observed level of performance. A much richer picture of team performance can be obtained by also considering taskwork processes and teamwork, including the coordination mechanisms of team members. Such a holistic performance evaluation is discussed throughout this chapter.