Does an adequate team climate for learning predict team effectiveness and innovation potential? A psychometric validation of the Team Climate questionnaire for Learning in an organizational context

Abstract

This paper reports the application and psychometric validation of a multi-dimensional measure of team climate for learning in a multinational organization. The research project aimed at extending previous findings at Aston Business School, using the English 33-item version of Brodbeck's Team Climate questionnaire for Learning to assess the factors that facilitate team learning in a business context and analyze its relationship to group performance, support for innovation and different effectiveness criteria chosen by the organization we cooperated with. Data concerning the TCL, the level of group development as a related process, and measures of group performance, innovation and effectiveness were gathered from 119 participants belonging to 18 work groups of the organization's headquarters and three subsidiaries in Germany, Switzerland and Belgium. The undertaken studies were carried out using a cross-sectional and correlated design. The assessment tool proved to have good psychometric properties, providing an adequate reliability, validity and power of prediction regarding team performance (R² = .81), support for innovation (R² = .69) and team effectiveness (e.g. R² = .59 as regards to the keeping of deadlines). Potential benefits derived from the application of the presented measure, limitations of the current research project and future perspectives are discussed.