University of Twente Student Theses
The role of gender and psychological safety in effective Agile teams: an exploratory analysis
Heijdens, E.M. (2022) The role of gender and psychological safety in effective Agile teams: an exploratory analysis.
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| Abstract: | Organisations are continuously looking for ways to improve and be successful, and a way to achieve this is through the Agile way of working. Psychological safety has also shown to be of great importance to a team’s success and research has noted that men and women perceived psychological safety differently. However, studies are limited when it comes to studying the combination of psychological safety and gender, even more when psychological safety is innovatively investigated through the exploratory manner of video observations. Therefore, by analyzing 4 retrospective meetings of effective Agile teams with 21 males and 6 females, this research provides an extensive exploration of 8 psychological safety behaviours: voice behaviours, defensive voice behaviours, silence behaviours, defensive silence behaviours, collaboration behaviours, unsupportive behaviours, learning or improvement behaviours and familiarity behaviours. Whilst, quantitative comparative analysis revealed no significant difference between men and women with regards to all psychological safety behaviours, but familiarity behaviours, frequency counts showed differences between the number of expressed behaviours by men and women, so that, overall, women display more voice behaviours, learning or improvement behaviours and familiarity behaviours as well as fewer silence behaviours, defensive silence behaviours and unsupportive behaviours compared to men. Theoretically, this research contributes to a better understanding of the influence of gender on psychological safety in a team. Practically, this research shows how women in a team, even when a minority, can still influence team dynamics and thus could help managers when composing teams. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 85 business administration, organizational science |
| Programme: | International Business Administration BSc (50952) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/90707 |
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