any studies have examined the factors affecting group or teamworking effectiveness. One factor that has frequently emerged is ‘group cohesion’. But what does ‘cohesion’ mean and what helps enhance it? A recent article by Donelson Forsyth considers these questions by analysing relevant research over the last 25 years. He draws out some interesting findings which I summarise here.
Success or failure in teams is frequently linked with the ways in which team members communicate and relate to each other. Often the focus is on the problems that arise and how they can be handled effectively. But that is just one side of the story. It is also important to know what types of behaviour can impact positively on team relations. A recent study by Debray and Spencer-Oatey identified ‘troubles talk’ as one such behaviour.
Why do highly skilled migrants encounter difficulties in obtaining a skilled job? How willing are organisations to recruit highly skilled migrants? These are two of the questions that Annette Risberg and Laurence Romani have explored in a recent study. They shift the focus away from analysing the skills and characteristics of the migrants (i.e. a deficit, individual-level approach) and instead explore the attitudes of recruiting organisations and ask “why do organizations underemploy highly skilled migrants?”
Diversity workshops are widely used to help foster positive relationships between members of different social groups, yet questions have been raised about their efficacy. A different approach, based on norm theory, was found to be a very successful alternative, according to research by Murrar and colleagues.
Professor Kim Sydow Campbell has conducted a range of research studies over the years on Leader Rapport Management. In her recently published co-authored study, she explores its impact on social loafing in student teams (i.e. not participating actively) and also examines the potential influence of some intermediary factors.
