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Aims: The aim of this study was to validate a psychometric tool, the team survey, in a health care setting with a range of teams from a Large National Health Service (NHS) Trust.

Background: The team survey was developed by Millward and Ramsay (1998) to measure the team dimensions identified in the cognitive-motivational model of team effectiveness (Millward & Purvis 1998). The team dimensions are team potency, team identification, Shared Mental Models and team meta-cognitions.

Design and methods: The psychometric properties of the tool as a reliable and valid predictor of team effectiveness was assessed by way of a survey of 10 teams (comprising 124 members in all) located on different premises, within a large NHS Trust. Team size ranged between 5 and 19 members, with average team size being 10 members. Two independent ratings of ‘effectiveness’ were made for each team. Factor and multiple regression analyses were employed to identify the most powerful predictors of health care team effectiveness from a cognitive and motivational perspective.

Results: The results suggest that the team survey is psychometrically robust within a health care setting.

Conclusions: It is concluded that the tool has a potentially key role in informing and evaluating team development initiatives in support of the work of practice development nurses and nursing team leaders.

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