A deductive method for constructing and comparing teamwork competence frameworks across contexts

Purpose – This paper aims to compare existing teamwork competence frameworks across disciplinary boundaries and offer a new deductive method for creating contextual frameworks. This paper gives an overview of differences and similarities between existing teamwork competence frameworks. This paper also offers a synthesis of existing frameworks in a comprehensive framework and a method to deductively derive contextual frameworks from the comprehensive framework.
Design/methodology/approach – This study includes a systematic review to compare existing teamwork competence frameworks. A comprehensive framework of teamwork competence is constructed based on the systematic review as well as a literature review on team processes and team emergent states and their related competences. A step-by-step method of how to deductively derive contextual frameworks from the comprehensive framework is suggested.
Findings – Existing teamwork competence frameworks share common areas but also differ considerably in which (sub-)competences they include. Often, the reasons for these choices are not clearly explained, making it hard to see how different frameworks relate to each other. A synthesized comprehensive framework is developed, which can be adapted to local contexts. The comprehensive framework can also serve as a basis for comparing contextual frameworks. Using the case of interdisciplinary teamwork competence for higher education students, an example of constructing such a contextual framework is provided.
Research limitations/implications – The new comprehensive framework may yet be incomplete, and the usefulness of the adaptation of the comprehensive framework to local contexts has to be empirically tested.
Originality/value – The comprehensive framework synthesizes teamwork competence frameworks across research fields. This paper offers a method for adapting this framework to specific contexts, which can help standardize the construction of contextual teamwork competence frameworks and improve comparability between them.