Abstract:

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the validity and reliability of the Actualized Team Profile (ATP). The ATP is a 25-item self-report assessment that measures team culture based on the underlying emotionality of group members, using a four-component solution within a framework established by Wilfred Bion. Bion’s (1961) research and framework provide a valid and reliable model for understanding the impact of unconscious or underlying emotionality on performance and members' satisfaction in group and team settings. Bion was the first to classify four modes of group culture based on the “basic assumption mental states” (BAMS) of group members, which represent their collective unconscious emotionality.
Validity of the ATP was established using Principal Components Factor Analysis (PCFA) to determine the number of factors (4) and the factor loadings of each survey item across the 4 scales. A four-factor model with eigenvalues greater than 1.0 was generated, and survey items were reduced from 40 to 20 based on the factor loading scores. The statistical PCFA analyses support a four-factor model of team culture and group behavior. The four-factor model in the PCFA analysis includes Detached (“fight/flight”), Dramatic (“pairing”), Dependent (“dependency”), and Dynamic (“work”). Eigenvalues ranged from 14.13 to 1.99 and accounted for 42% of the observed variance. The reliability for the ATP was estimated by assessing the internal consistency of the survey items for each of the four scales (i.e., Detached, Dramatic, Dependent, and Dynamic) by calculating Cronbach’s alpha for each scale item. The standardized item Cronbach’s alpha for the four scales ranged from .706 to .881. The research effort is summarized, and conclusions are drawn with specific implications for leadership development.