Date of Conferral

2016

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

John Schmidt

Abstract

Organizations attempting to optimize productivity are seeking new ways to develop psychological capital in teams. The researcher conducted a quantitative study to determine whether team cohesion, as assessed by the Revised Group Environment Questionnaire (RGEQ), impacts team productivity, as assessed by the Performance Measurement Team (PMT) Manufacturing Resource System (MRS); whether this relationship can be attributed to a team's level of psychological capital, as assessed by the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ-12); and whether psychological capital mediates the relationship between team cohesion and team productivity. Forty-five PMTs in a large U.S. defense manufacturing organization were surveyed using the PCQ-12 and the RGEQ, and their respective PMT MRS productivity levels were recorded. Barron and Kenny's 4-step mediation analysis was employed using simple and multiple regression to determine whether a team's level of cohesion significantly contributes to its productivity and if its level of psychological capital mediates the relationship between cohesion and productivity. The results indicated that team cohesion does not predict team productivity and that psychological capital is not a mediator of team cohesion and productivity. Although cohesion and psychological capital have a significant positive effect on supervisor performance ratings, the effect is diminished when viewing the objective measure of productivity. The study promotes positive social change in the workplace by elevating awareness of the effect of team cohesion on the psychological states of manufacturing workers. Understanding these relationships will help organizations to implement teaming methods that support the efficiencies and well-being of employees.

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