The Importance Of Interpersonal Relationships On Cohesion

While the relationship between cohesion and positive outcomes is well studied, what is less understood is the role of interpersonal relationships on cohesion development. As an affective emergent state, cohesion develops through the dynamic and dyadic interactions between members of a team over time (Kozlowski & Klein, 2000; Morgeson & Hoffman, 1999). These relationships are commonly viewed as team level aggregates, missing vital knowledge on our understanding of how these dyadic interactions among members are shaping perceptions of the team and therefore cohesion. Specifically, how these dyadic interactions occurring within team processes impact the formation of this team-level emergent state that leads to these outcomes. As every interaction

Communication is one of the most essential teamwork behaviors and is required throughout the entire lifecycle of the team for all team functioning. In the early stages of team development, individuals do not know one another, but will approach other members and will begin building social relationships (need cite). Through communication, interactions between team members will evolve into more developed social relationships. For cohesion to begin development, these interactions are necessary. Every interaction contains communication, providing the pivotal link to cohesion. The directionality of this relationship, whether that be positive or negative, will depend on the context of the communication. This communication will continue to influence cohesion development within teams over time. Previous research has indicated a positive relationship existing between the amount of communication and cohesion within teams (e.g., Carron, 1988; Widmeyer & Williams, 1991). Through communication, all dyadic interactions, team emergent states, and subsequent positive outcomes are formed, laying the foundation for all teams (Bradley, Baur, Banford, & Postlethwaite,

The role of communication on cohesion development cannot be captured simply by looking at the frequency of communication. While communicating with an individual is essential for cohesion development, what is also critical to the formation of cohesion is the perceived source from which communication is occurring over time. The appraisal of the source of communication can be positive, such as advice, or negative, such as hindrance. Individuals seen as a source of advice can be seen as helpful to task completion. These sources of advice can be viewed as individuals that facilitate the accomplishing of goals in the workplace. These team members may see these sources of advice as appropriate for work assistance, and may view these individuals as resources for work tasks. Over time, individuals seen as a source of advice will further foster positive feelings with the other team member. As the relationship develops, these individuals will continue experiencing positive associations regarding task and goal completion, and over time will result in higher ratings of cohesion. Individuals seen as a source of hindrance, however, can be seen as harmful to task completion. Sources of hindrance are individuals that are perceived to be preventing work tasks and goals. Over time, there is an expected relationship between individuals that reflects this source of appraisal.