A multilevel model of emotional skills, communication performance, and task performance in teams

Abstract

There is increasing research regarding the influence of emotions on teamwork. In this study we use a multilevel approach to examine how team members’ use of emotion-related skills affects team task performance and communication performance within the team. We measured individual self-reported emotional skills prior to team formation and then collected peer-rated individual communication performance and independently-rated team task performance eight weeks later. Whilst there was no influence at the individual level between emotional skills and performance, team-level emotional skills positively predicted team task performance scores. At the cross level, team-level emotional skills predicted individual-level communication performance. These findings emphasize the importance of distinct team emotional skills in shaping both team performance and individual team member performance.