Skip to main content

Team Flow Theory—A Multi-level Perspective

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Team Flow

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Well-Being and Quality of Life Research ((BRIEFSWELLBEING))

  • 1102 Accesses

Abstract

Based on the extensive literature in Chapter 2, this explores the conceptualization of the team flow model designed by Van den Hout (2016) in depth. It shows how individual and team flow are interrelated and describes the elements that comprise a team flow experience. It goes on to show how team flow emerges and what the benefits are of experiencing team flow. Finally, it gives an indication of what the possibilities of applying team flow in a business context might be.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 69.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    To learn more about this model, consult the original article: The conceptualization of Team Flow (van den Hout et al., 2018).

References

  • Amabile, T. M., Conti, R., Coon, H., Lazenby, J., & Herron, M. (1996). Assessing the work environment for creativity. Academy of Management Journal, 39(5), 1154–1184.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bakker, A. B. (2005). Flow among music teachers and their students: The crossover of peak experiences. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 66(1), 26–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bartlett, C. A., & Ghoshal, S. (1997). The myth of the generic manager: New personal competencies for new management roles. California Management Review, 40(1), 92–116.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beatty, C. A., & Lee, G. L. (1992). Leadership among middle managers: An exploration in the context of technological change. Human Relations, 45(9), 957–989.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carton, A. M., & Cummings, J. N. (2012). A theory of subgroups in work teams. Academy of Management Review, 37(3), 441–470.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, S. G., & Bailey, D. E. (1997). What makes teams work: group effectiveness: Research from the shop floor to the executive suite. Journal of Management, 23(3), 239–290.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Csíkszentmihályi, M. (1975). Beyond boredom and anxiety. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Csíkszentmihályi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. New York: Harper and Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • Csíkszentmihályi, M. (1993). The evolving self: A psychology for the third millennium. New York: HarperCollins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Csíkszentmihályi, M. (1996). Creativity: Flow and the psychology of discovery and invention. New York: HarperCollins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2003). Good business: Leadership, flow, and the making of meaning. New York, NY: Penguin Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis, O. C. (2010). Defining microflow through the context of a waiting paradigm. Dissertation: Claremont Graduate University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Delarue, A., Van Hootegem, G., Procter, S., & Burridge, M. (2008). Teamworking and organizational performance: A review of survey-based research. International Journal of Management Reviews, 10(2), 127–148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dobrajska, M., Billinger, S., & Karim, S. (2015). Delegation within hierarchies: How information processing and knowledge characteristics influence the allocation of formal and real decision authority. Organization Science, 26(3), 687–704.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dolan, P., & Metcalfe, R. (2012). The relationship between innovation and subjective wellbeing. Research Policy, 41(8), 1489–1498.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duhigg, C. (2016). What Google learned from its quest to build the perfect team. The New York Times Magazine, 26, 2016.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350–383.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eisenberger, R., Jones, J. R., Stinglhamber, F., Shanock, L., & Randall, A. T. (2005). Flow experiences at work: for high need achievers alone? Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26(7), 755–775.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fisher, C. D. (2010). Happiness at work. International Journal of Management Reviews, 12(4), 384–412.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forsyth, D. R. (2009). Group dynamics. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ghoshal, S., & Bartlett, C. A. (1999). The individualized corporation: A fundamentally new approach to management. New York: HarperCollins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gully, S. M., Incalcaterra, K. A., Joshi, A., & Matthew, J. (2002). A meta-analysis of team-efficacy, potency, and performance: Interdependence and level of analysis as moderators of observed relationships. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(5), 819–832.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guzzo, R. A., & Dickson, M. W. (1996). Teams in organizations: Recent research on performance and effectiveness. Annual Review of Psychology, 47(1), 307–338.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hackman, J. R. (1998). Why teams don’t work. In R. S. Tindale, L. Heath, J. Edwards, E. J. Posavac, F. B. Bryant, Y. Suarez-Balcazar, & J. Myers (Eds.), Theory and research on small groups (pp. 245–267). New York: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hackman, J. R., & Wageman, R. (2005). A theory of team coaching. The Academy of Management Review, 30(2), 269–287.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hennessey, B. A., & Amabile, T. M. (2010). Creativity. Annual Review of Psychology, 61(1), 569–598.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Katzenbach, J. R., & Smith, D. K. (1993). The discipline of teams. Harvard Business Review, 71(2), 111–120.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Keith, M., Anderson, G., Dean, D. L., & Gaskin, J. (2014). The effects of team flow on performance: A video game experiment. In Proceedings of SIGHCI 2014. Paper 13. Retrieved from http://aisel.aisnet.org/sighci2014/13.

  • Kozlowski, S. W. J., & Klein, K. J. (2000). A multilevel approach to theory and research in organizations: Contextual, temporal, and emergent processes. In K. J. Klein & S. W. J. Kozlowski (Eds.), Multilevel theory, research, and methods in organizations: Foundations, extensions, and new directions (pp. 3–90). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Landhäußer, A., & Keller, J. (2012). Flow and its affective, cognitive, and performance-related consequences. In S. Engeser (Ed.), Advances in flow research (pp. 65–85). New York: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Larson, J. R. (2010). In search of synergy in small group performance. New York, NY: Psychology Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lencioni, P. M. (2002). The five dysfunctions of a team. San Fransisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lyubomirsky, S., King, L., & Diener, E. (2005). The benefits of frequent positive affect: Does happiness lead to success? Psychological Bulletin, 131(6), 803–855.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Magyaródi, T., & Oláh, A. (2015). Flow Szinkronizáció Kérdőív: az optimális élmény mechanizmusának mérése társas interakciós helyzetekben. Mentálhigiéné és Pszichoszomatika, 16(3), 271–296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mantere, S. (2008). Role expectations and middle manager strategic agency. Journal of Management Studies, 45(2), 294–316.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marotto, M., Roos, J., & Victor, B. (2007). Collective virtuosity in organizations: A study of peak performance in an orchestra. Journal of Management Studies, 44(3), 388–413.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nakamura, J., & Csíkszentmihályi, M. (2009). Flow theory and research. In C. R. Snyder & S. J. Lopez (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of positive psychology (2nd ed., pp. 195–206). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Richter, A. W., Dawson, J. F., & West, M. A. (2011). The effectiveness of teams in organizations: a meta-analysis. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 22(13), 2749–2769.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rousseau, D. M. (1997). Organizational behavior in the new organizational era. Annual Review of Psychology, 48(1), 515–546.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salanova, M., Rodríguez-Sánchez, A. M., Schaufeli, W. B., & Cifre, E. (2014). Flowing together: A longitudinal study of collective efficacy and collective flow among workgroups. The Journal of Psychology, 148(4), 435–455.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salas, E., & Cannon-Bowers, J. A. (2001). The science of training: a decade of progress. Annual Review of Psychology, 52(1), 471–499.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sawyer, R. K. (2003). Group creativity: Music, theater, collaboration. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sawyer, R. K. (2006). Group creativity: Musical performance and collaboration. Psychology of Music, 34(2), 148–165.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sawyer, R. K. (2007). Group genius: The creative power of collaboration. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Snow, K. Y. (2010). Work relationships that flow: Examining the interpersonal flow experience, knowledge sharing, and organizational commitment. Doctoral Dissertation. Claremont Graduate University. Retrieved from http://gradworks.umi.com/34/36/3436590.html.

  • Steiner, I. D. (1972). Group processes and productivity. New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van den Hout, J. J. J. (2016). Team flow: From concept to application. Dissertation. Eindhoven: Eindhoven University of Technology.

    Google Scholar 

  • van den Hout, J. J., Davis, O. C., & Weggeman, M. C. (2018). The conceptualization of team flow. The Journal of Psychology, 152(6), 388–423.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van den Hout, J. J. J., Gevers, J. M. P., Davis, O. C., & Weggeman, M. C. D. P. (2017). Overcoming impediments to team flow. Challenging Organisations and Society, 6(2), 1165–1181.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van den Hout, J. J. J., Gevers, J. M. P., Davis, O. C., & Weggeman, M. C. D. P. (2019). Developing and Testing the Team Flow Monitor (TFM). Cogent Psychology, Accepted manuscript, 1643962. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2019.1643962

  • Verhoeven, B. (2018). Let’s flow! Transformational leadership and team effectiveness: The mediating role of team flow in organizations. Master Thesis. Eindhoven: Eindhoven University of Technology.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walker, C. J. (2010). Experiencing flow: Is doing it together better than doing it alone? The Journal of Positive Psychology, 5(1), 3–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weggeman, M. C. D. P., Lammers, I., & Akkermans, H. (2007). Aesthetics from a design perspective. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 20(3), 346–358.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wooldridge, B., Schmid, T., & Floyd, S. W. (2008). The middle management perspective on strategy process: Contributions, synthesis, and future research. Journal of Management, 34(6), 1190–1221.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wright, T. A., & Cropanzano, R. (2004). The role of psychological well-being in job performance: A fresh look at an age-old quest. Organizational Dynamics, 33(4), 338–351.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zumeta, L., Basabe, N., Wlodarzyk, A., Bobowik, M., & Paez, D. (2016). Shared flow and positive collective gatherings. Anales de Psicologia, 32(3), 717–727. https://doi.org/10.6018/analesps.32.3.261651.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jef J. J. van den Hout .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

van den Hout, J.J.J., Davis, O.C. (2019). Team Flow Theory—A Multi-level Perspective. In: Team Flow. SpringerBriefs in Well-Being and Quality of Life Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27871-7_3

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics