Team Building by Disclosure of Internal Frames of Reference

Abstract

This article discusses a new team building intervention based on the theory that disclosure of internal frames of reference improves group members' working relationships with one another. The author designed this intervention using alignment theory and conducted a study of its effects. The sample consisted of 17 intact work teams of 4-S persons each, 13 of which comprised MBA students and 4 of which comprised management teams in business. Each team was randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions: the alignment theory-based intervention, a conventional team-building intervention, and a control condition (no intervention). Using the Barrett-Lennard Relationship Inventory, the author conducted measurements before, immediately after, and two months after interventions were conducted. The research results showed that teams participating in the new intervention experienced substantial improvements immediately following the intervention andfurther improvements two months later, and in every case the effect was significantly greater for these teams than for the control-condition teams and was greater (though not statistically significant) than for the teams participating in the conventional team-building intervention.

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