The Measurement of Cohesion in Work Teams

This study examined a work-adapted version of the Group Environment Questionnaire. The sample consisted of 120 employees of an Australian public sector organization who worked in teams. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine four alternate models. None of the models examined fit the data, thus the scale was revised. Subscales of the work-group characteristics scale were used to demonstrate the construct validity of the revised scale; regional managers’ratings of work-group performance were used to examine the criterion-related validity. The findings showed that task cohesion compared to social cohesion and individual attraction to the group was the strongest correlate of all the variables examined. A key variable in models of effective work teams is group cohe