Thought self-leadership and effectiveness in self-management teams

Abstract

This study empirically examines the multilevel nature of thought self-leadership at work. Furthermore, this study tests the relationship between team level thought self-leadership and team effectiveness (i.e. performance and viability) through collective efficacy. A total of 103 selfmanagement teams (453 individuals), enrolled in a five-week management competition participated in the study. The results from multilevel confirmatory factor analysis suggest that thought self-leadership is functionally equivalent across levels of analysis (i.e. individuals and teams). In addition, we found an indirect effect of team level thought self-leadership on team effectiveness criteria, through collective efficacy. These findings extend previous work on thought self-leadership and team effectiveness, and open new roads for research in self-managing work teams. Finally, this study also provides guidelines for organizations in case they wish to foster team performance and viability in their work force.