Assessing team performance

This thesis presents two studies of alternative methodologies for assessing teamperformance, specifically in the context of teams for which there are no objectiveperformance criteria.The first study derived its methodology from personal construct theory to explore theviability of using repertory grid technique, firstly to generate team performanceconstructs and then to use these to assess team performance. The team performanceconstructs that emerged from the first study were used to give construct validity tothe second study that consisted of the development of a questionnaire (the TeamPerformance Survey) for assessing team performance. Exploratory factor analysis,together with internal consistency assessment, was used to develop three possiblescale structures. Confirmatory factor analysis assisted in the establishment of thefinal seven-scale version of the questionnaire.The outcomes from these studies show that the use of repertory grid technique doesprovide a useful and interesting method of measuring of team performance and, thatgiven time and resources, this could well be a better method of assessment than thatof generic questionnaires. Having said this, the generic questionnaire developeddirectly from the earlier study, lays claim to validity and reliability through its basein the perceptions of team members and the rigorous process of psychometric testingemployed to produce the final version.The thesis concludes with a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of thesetwo approaches to team performance assessment. Suggestions for future research aremade.