Intragroup processes and teamwork within a successful chamber choir

ABSTRACT

Despite the ubiquity of choirs across time and cultures, relatively little is known about the internal dynamics of these social systems. This article examines the group processes involved in a small European chamber choir. The research adopted a mixed-methods qualitative approach that combined individual interviews (n = 13) with ethnographic observation. Analysis described the group processes of the choir in relation to standard models of effective teamwork. The results suggest that certain dynamics of this choir lie beyond conventional conceptualisations of teamwork. Further conceptual and empirical research is necessary to develop a model of teamwork that can be applied to the conditions of performance-based teams and inform choral practice and training.

KEYWORDS:

• Choirs
• action teams
• performance teams
• teamwork
• qualitative

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Melrona Kirrane is a lecturer in Organisational Psychology at DCU Business School. She is Professor of Leadership at PNU, Riyadh. Her research interests include teamwork, leadership, diversity and the application of psychoanalytic principles to the analysis of organizations.

Cliodhna O'Connor is a social psychologist and Lecturer in the Department of Psychology, Maynooth University.

Anne Marie Dunne is a PhD scholar in the field of Organisational Psychology at Dublin City University Business School.

Patricia Moriarty received her PhD from Trinity College, Dublin. She is Head of School of Business and Humanities at Dundalk Institute of Technology.

Notes

1 To protect anonymity, choir members are identified by a unique code.