ABSTRACT
Why do some teams succeed and others fail? This fundamentally important question has been investigated for decades (e.g., Heslin, 1964; Hackman, 1987; Kozlowski & Ilgen, 2006), and the evolving answer is multifaceted and complex, involving a wide range of constructs and their interactions. Nevertheless, team scholars generally agree that selecting the right team members is a key variable in the team effectiveness equation. Indeed, most team performance models highlight the critical role of member characteristics (e.g., Gladstein, 1984; Hackman, 1987; Tannenbaum, Salas, & Cannon-Bowers, 1996), and the popular Input-Process-Outcome framework of team studies begins with the expertise, abilities, and personality traits that members bring to the group (McGrath, 1984). Selection interventions are expected to enhance team effectiveness because they identify employees with superior taskwork and teamwork skills and detect those with a better fi t to work in team environments (Tannenbaum et al., 1996). However, despite the importance of team selection, signifi cant knowledge gaps remain regarding how to distinguish “team players” from “team inhibitors” and how to create teams whose members have the right mix of competencies. Ironically, despite a wealth of accumulated knowledge about how to select individuals to fi t jobs and a burgeoning team literature, relatively little of this research has systematically focused on team selection issues (e.g., Jones, Stevens, & Fischer, 2000; McClough & Rogelberg, 2003). In addition, teamwork measurement for selection has been described as “primitive” (O’Neil, Wang, Lee, Mulkey, & Baker, 2003, p. 283).
