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Context-specific definitions of organizational concepts: Defining ‘team effectiveness’ with use of the Delphi Technique

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 June 2014

Anne Marie Lohuis ,
Mark van Vuuren  and
Ernst Bohlmeijer
Anne Marie Lohuis*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands
Mark van Vuuren
Affiliation:
Department of Technical & Professional Communication, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands
Ernst Bohlmeijer
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands
*
Corresponding author: a.m.lohuis@utwente.nl
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Abstract

Definitions are social constructions rather than objective descriptions. They set clear boundaries for what is considered normal in a situation. Common words in organizations, like effectiveness or success, carry different meaningss in different contexts. In this paper, we evaluate the Delphi Technique as a method for explicating context-specific definitions and illustrate its use in formulating a context-specific definition of ‘an effective health care team’. Eight multi-disciplinary organization members participated in the study and reached consensus on characteristics assigned to team effectiveness in three rounds. The final definition implies the influence of organizational values, underscoring the importance of context specificity in organization studies.

Keywords

Delphi Techniqueconsensus methodsteam effectivenesshealth care teamscontext-specific definitions
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 19 , Issue 6 , November 2013 , pp. 706 - 720
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2013 

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