Team cognition: A study of cognitive development versus social development

The research reported in this dissertation pursues three goals. First, this dissertation explores the notion that teams develop cognitively. Second the dissertation establishes that cognitive and social development in teams are independent phenomena and do not necessarily occur in parallel. Third the dissertation determines that both forms of team development, social and cognitive, are necessary for a team to maximize its performance. Two different studies are conducted to test the hypotheses presented. Study one is a longitudinal laboratory study of teams that are surveyed at three different time periods. Study two is a cross-sectional design with actual work teams. Study one empirically demonstrates that teams develop team-level cognition and that this development occurs in specific stages. Study one and two demonstrate that team cognition is a separate phenomenon from team socialization. These two processes should be viewed and treated differently. Although both influence team effectiveness, team cognition plays a more important role in distinguishing which teams will be effective.