Scientific priorities and relational dynamics during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study

To rapidly respond to the COVID-19 public health crisis, researchers have been called upon to prioritize pandemic research, while simultaneously modifying their existing research to maintain the safety of all stakeholders. This study aims to explore the experiences of health science researchers in their scientific practices, research priorities, and professional relational dynamics due to COVID-19. Specifically, we interviewed 31 researchers from diverse fields at the University of Texas Medical Branch. Participants worked on COVID-19, non-COVID-19 related research, or both. We integrated inductive and deductive coding using a thematic coding method. The following four themes were explored: 1) impact of research, 2) research priorities, 3) professional relationships and 4) contextual influences on science. Participants were drawn to COVID-19 work for a diversity of reasons including social need, scientific interest, professional duty, and increased access to funding opportunities. While collaborations have increased for COVID-19 researchers, interpersonal relationships have been challenging for participants. Additionally, political, familial, and personal stresses due to the pandemic have taken a toll on researchers in very different and often inequitable ways. To ensure team cohesion, there is a need to develop research practices, policies and systems that value empathy, flexibility, and interdependence.

The Moderating Role of Team Conflict on Teams of Nursing Students

Inter-professional education has become a widespread trend in healthcare education around the world. This study examined whether conflict moderated the correlation between swift trust and creativity for nursing students on teams in inter-professional education courses in Taiwan. A cross-sectional survey study with comparative, quantitative analysis was conducted to describe relationships between the studied variables. This study collected self-report data from 270 nursing students who attended interdisciplinary team-based capstone courses, and this study divided them into 54 teams. Each team consisted of five members. The study results showed cognition-based team swift trust had a positive correlation with team creativity. The negative association was revealed between relationship conflict and team creativity. Moderation models demonstrated that relationship conflict (95% C.I. [-0.70, -0.21]) negatively moderated the correlation between cognition-based swift trust and team creativity among nursing student teams. This research found that greater levels of cognition-based swift trust may enhance nursing students' team creativity in inter-professional education courses. However, relationship conflicts may limit the positive outcomes of that association. Nursing educators should incorporate conflict management particularly aiming at relationship conflicts into their interdisciplinary nursing courses to support creative outcomes.

Bulls in a China Shop: Narcissism, Intragroup Conflict, and Task Cohesion

When given opportunities for personal glory in individual settings, people high in narcissism excel. However, less is known about narcissists' influence in team contexts. Across two studies (utilizing cross-sectional and two-wave longitudinal designs) involving 706 athletes from 68 teams in total, we tested a conceptual model linking narcissism to task cohesion, via intragroup conflict, moderated by narcissistic group composition. We tested a new sports-oriented measure of intragroup conflict using Bayesian estimation and evaluated our theorizing using a multilevel conditional indirect effect hybrid model. Across both studies, we found that narcissism influenced perceptions of task cohesion via process conflict only, with a negative influence at low narcissistic group composition that was weakened (Study 1) or nullified (Study 2) at high narcissistic team composition. Collectively, these findings offer the first example of how narcissism influences task cohesion in team settings and the contextual effects of narcissistic group composition.

Servant Leadership Stimulates Spiritual Well-Being Through Team Trust in a Female Religious Context

This study investigates how female religious leaders nurture spiritual well-being in religious sisters. Specifically, we examined how servant leadership fosters spiritual well-being [Gifts and Fruits of the Spirit (GFSp)] through, respectively, the mediating role of team trust and reduced occurrence of team conflicts. Quantitative survey data were collected from 453 religious sisters (followers) within a Catholic Women Religious Institute in Nigeria. Using structural equation modeling, results showed that servant leadership is positively related to team trust and negatively related to team conflict. Further findings showed that servant leadership indirectly fosters spiritual well-being: Gifts of the Spirit (GSp), and Fruits of the Spirit (FSp), through the mediating role of team trust, however not through reduced team conflict. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.