Using sociometry to predict team performance in the work place

Teams are becoming an increasingly popular way to improve performance and quality in the work place. Little research, however, has addressed the question of how to predict high performance from individuals who are placed on teams. Sociometry can provide an alternative to previous methods by measuring preferred pairings among team members across a number of tasks or settings. The choices given and received among members within a social network can reveal the degree of mutual preference for working together, and is referred to as the group's density. In this study, the survey method was used to measure 29 squads at a military college for their density as well as for the level of satisfaction and perceived cohesion among team members. Sociometric strong or dense teams were found to perform better across a combination of several different criterion measures. Implications for future research and applied uses in organizations are discussed.