Team affective tone and team performance: The role of team member silence and teamness

Abstract In this article, we draw on the affect substitution theoretical hypothesis to propose that team positive and negative affective tones are associated with team performance through team member silence behavior, depending on the degree of teamness within teams. Teamness refers to team resources associated with a shared vision, interdependence, reflexivity, autonomy, boundedness, and clear roles. Thus, when these resources are absent (low teamness), the positive effects of team positive affective tones on team performance and the negative effects of team negative affective tones on the same outcome would be stronger. Two independent survey studies with teams in the technology and health services supported the validity of the teamness construct and our proposals, highlighting that one mechanism for team‐level affect influences on team performance is withholding concerns and problem‐related information, contingent on the availability of teamwork contextual resources.