Team insecurity as a multi-level and multi-dimensional construct: Scale development and validation

Abstract

Although team downsizing or team restructuring initiatives have frequently taken place in contemporary organizations, very little research has been conducted on the issue of team insecurity. Drawing on Kim, Shin, and Rim's,Korean Journal of Management 25, 257-280 (2017) theoretical framework, which proposes team insecurity as a multi-level and multi-dimensional construct, this study aims to develop a scale assessing team insecurity and test its validity. Team insecurity refers to an employee's perceptions of and affective reactions to the continuity of his or her team. The employee's perception of team insecurity can also be shared within a team, which ultimately form an insecurity climate in the team. In Study 1, we developed a multi-dimensional scale of team insecurity, which consisted of four dimensions: (1) perceived team restructuring; (2) perceived team relative status; (3) perceived team composition; and (4) overall affective reaction. We assessed the four-factor structure of team insecurity and its discriminant validity by using a sample of 248 employees. In Study 2, we tested the predictive validity of team insecurity by using survey data from 280 employees in 75 teams. The test of the predictive validity showed that employees' perceptions of team insecurity significantly predicted their intention to leave and alternative job search, whereas team insecurity climate significantly predicted team creativity and team organizational citizenship behavior. These findings provide initial support for the construct of team insecurity.