The Influence of Flow on Standard and Adaptive Performance in Teams

The purpose of this study was to examine flow as it relates to different types of performance in teams. Participants (N = 165) in teams of five engaged in an airport simulation that included an unforeseen change during the second session. Flow was expected to be positively correlated with standard and adaptive performance and predict performance along with cognitive ability and personality. Positive affect was expected to mediate the relationship between flow and performance. Flow was positively correlated with the number of aircraft departed under standard conditions, negatively correlated with aircraft departed under adaptive conditions, and positively correlated with subjective ratings of adaptive performance. Cognitive ability and extraversion positively predicted duty adaptive performance. The relationship between flow and subjective adaptive performance was partially mediated by positive affect. Findings suggest that flow is deleterious for performance requiring adaptive responses and inflates reports of subjective adaptive performance partially through positive affect