GROUP COHESION AS A PREDICTOR OF TEAM EFFECTIVENESS: AN EMPIRICAL ATTESTATION FROM A SURVEY AMONG SCIENTISTS IN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS

In this postmodern era, when management concepts are increasingly implemented to tap unified human efforts to the optimum, for organizational accomplishment, the poignancy of teamwork, one of the major determinants of organizational success is appreciated and accepted by all organizations and is given prime focus. Exploring new ways to effectualise and advance the concept has initiated a plethora of empirical study and the findings have opened up new avenues in the pathways of progressive development. This research paper explores the impact of group cohesion on team effectiveness. Team effectiveness is the effectiveness of a team in terms of performance objectives, team climate, use of resources, innovation and quality, while group cohesion is the set of forces that are acting as a binding force keeping the group members together. This study on group cohesion and team effectiveness elucidate distinctly the association between these constructs. Data for the sample was collected from 187 scientists from three Nationalized Research and Development Organizations in Central Kerala, South India during the time span of October to November 2015. Regression analyses were performed to test the hypotheses and the results showed that group cohesion positively influenced team effectiveness. By nurturing group cohesion and augmenting team effectiveness, the developmental vision o