Time flies when you’re teamworking: the teamwork flow scale.

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to contribute to the clarification of the structural dimension of the experience of flow, and to assess teamwork flow. We developed a 36-item Teamwork Flow Scale (TFS). Using principal components (PCA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA), we validated the TFS in a sample of 635 Portuguese employees (Mage = 35.51, SD = 11.13) 58.1% of which were male (n = 369) from various occupational sectors. Four alternative models of flow were tested. PCA yielded a 3-factor solution (peak performance, peak experience, and time transformation). The 9 intercorrelated factors model of flow best adjusted to our sample. The TFS should be tested in other samples and cultures. This is a promising tool that can help managers become aware of how to transform work into a more rewarding and productive activity, and source of well-being, contributing to a deeper understanding of the multidimensional concept of flow.