Date of Award

12-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Applied Psychology

Committee Chair/Advisor

Marissa Shuffler

Committee Member

Allison Taylor

Committee Member

Patrick Rosopa

Committee Member

Robert Sinclair

Abstract

Teams are become a mainstay in nearly every sector of business. Teams are complex and evolve to meet the demands of their unique environments. One team structure growing in popularity is a multiteam system (MTS), a system comprised of multiple teams working interdependently to achieve goals. Understanding the mechanisms by which a MTS is successful is challenging; however, the concept of fit may offer further explanation. Person-group fit has been shown to improve coworker satisfaction, job attitudes, and task performance. Most research has only explored individual-level outcomes of person-group fit, yet there are numerous calls for further exploration into team-level outcomes. This study begins to examine such outcomes by building upon a model initially proposed by Seong and Kristof-Brown (2012) and utilizing referent shifts to focus on perceptions of fit and team-level outcomes. By applying an MTS lens, this study explores how the referent can impact an individual's perception of fit; it also takes a step towards establishing a collective fit measure of person-group fit. Using a snowball sample of 133 student-athletes from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), perceptions of team fit within MTSs were analyzed. Path analyses were conducted to confirm the models Seong and Kristof-Brown (2012) established and examine fit differences. Results revealed less-than-ideal model statistics for the MTS and component team models. However, nearly all theorized relationships existed between perceptions of team-level outcomes at both referents. Further, analyses revealed that the emergence of specific team processes and outcomes may differ between component teams and the MTS.

Author ORCID Identifier

0000-0001-6742-421X

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