Measuring and mapping team interaction : A cross‐cultural comparison of US and Spanish MBA teams

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is four‐fold: to highlight the emerging stream of team interaction in research; to present a methodology to measure and map out team interaction; to compare team interaction between US and Spanish MBA teams so as to identify any differences between the two cultures; and to propose team interaction focused programs in educational institutions and organizations. Design/methodology/approach – The study used a quantitative research design and administered a survey that captures ten aspects of team interaction in four major dimensions to 32 US MBA teams ( n   =   176) and 31 Spanish MBA teams ( n   =   152) engaged in the same group exercise and used ANOVA analysis to compare the two groups. Findings – The findings show that the US and Spanish teams differ only in the diverging dimension of their actual team interaction ( F   =   26.42, p   <  0.000). A comparative analysis of the ideal team interaction show that both MBA samples desire increased levels of the diverging ( F   =   37.7, p  <  0.000) and recursiveness ( F   =   23.65, p   <   0.000) dimensions. Practical implications – The study provides a methodology and highlights the significance of employing a team interaction perspective for team learning and development programs in educational and organizational settings. Originality/value – The paper presents team interaction along four major dimensions – divergent, convergent, status and recursiveness – and provides a brief overview of the theory of Conversational Learning. The approach used in this study contributes to this emerging stream of team research and presents the significance of focusing on the social‐emotional aspects of team interaction in educational and organizational team development programs.