Outpacing the pandemic? A factorial survey on decision speed of COVID-19 task forces

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine how individual competencies, team collaboration and clear assignment of tasks and roles predict the decision speed of temporary task forces employed to handle the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis. Design/methodology/approach: This study analyzes COVID-19 task forces and bases of previous research on the performance of temporary teams and human and social capital literature. Linear multilevel regression is used with data from a factorial survey, covering six different continents, various industries and leadership levels from chief executive officers (CEOs) to specialist task force members. Findings: The study reveals that all analyzed predictors (individual competencies, team collaboration and assignment of tasks and roles) are positively associated with the task force decision speed, with the individual competencies standing out in importance. Practical implications: Team member selection is likely to be one of the first tasks necessary when such a temporary task force is created. Additionally, competent individuals might be successful even when not embedded in clear structures and even when not working in their own specialist roles. Originality/value: The sudden pandemic outbreak of COVID-19 disrupted governments, corporations and individual people alike. As handling a pandemic is new for most involved people, and many such task forces are shown to be manned by personnel not formally trained in crisis management, this study's results represent important contributions to team performance, decision-making and crisis management literature in general. Furthermore, avenues for further research into the comparative analysis of predictors are revealed.