The influence of team cohesiveness on team effectiveness.

Abstract

Teams play an important role in most organisations in today’s modern economy. The use of teams has expanded dramatically in response to competitive challenges. Research indicates that teamwork can achieve outcomes that could not be achieved by the same number of individuals working in isolation. However, teams need to be cohesive and effective in order to be successful. Team building, team cohesiveness and team effectiveness are discussed in detail, outlining their importance for good teamwork. The Police Services is dependent on effective teamwork as this forms an integral part of their daily work activities. Therefore, teams in the Police Services need to be highly cohesive in order to enhance team effectiveness. The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the impact of team cohesiveness on team effectiveness at the police services. The key dimensions of team cohesiveness that were explored in this study are : setting goals and understanding them, extent of participation, communication, idea generation, conflict management, interpersonal relations and obstacles and the extent of their influence on team effectiveness. The research was conducted at the police services in Kwa-Dukuza, Kwa-Zulu Natal. Simple random sampling was used in this study. Various statistical techniques were used to test the three hypotheses. The results were analysed and a presentation and discussion of the respondent’s perceptions were presented. From this study, it is evident that team cohesiveness with special reference to the following sub-dimensions: setting goals and understanding them, extent of participation, communication, idea generation, conflict management, interpersonal relations and obstacles does impact significantly on team effectiveness. The limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are also outlined. Furthermore, a discussion of the possible causes for the findings are included, along with recommendations to improve team cohesiveness in order to enhance team effectiveness.