Development and Validation of a Scale to Measure Communication Behaviors in Hybrid Teams

Abstract

With the Covid-19 pandemic, remote work was increased all over the globe. As a consequence, workers had to adapt their communication behaviors to smoothly coordinate work in their so-called hybrid teams (i.e., when team members divide work between the office and their home). In order to capture effective team coordination in hybrid teams, we constructed and validated the team communication scale (TCS) in hybrid teams drawing on relational coordination. The scale comprises three dimensions: focused communication, spontaneous communication and sharing knowledge. We validated the scale in six independent samples from individuals and teams. Confirmatory Factor Analyses supported the proposed three-factor structure. Moreover, the subscales showed convergent validity and predictive validity with team outcomes and team viability. We conclude that the TCS is a reliable and valid measure for assessing team communication in hybrid teams.