Formalization or improvisation: the influence of team mindfulness on team resilience

Purpose The increasing unexpected contingencies make resilience indispensable for project teams. Drawn on input–process–outcome (IPO) framework, this study aims to investigate how and when team mindfulness (i.e. input) fosters team resilience (i.e. outcome) via team formalization and team improvisation (i.e. process) under boundary conditions of the shared mental model. Design/methodology/approach By conducting a three-wave research design, this paper collects 312 questionaries from the Chinese construction industry. The proposed hypotheses were tested by hierarchical regression analysis and structural equation modeling. Findings The results confirm that team mindfulness exerts a positive effect on team resilience. The positive relationship is mediated by team formalization and team improvisation. In addition, the shared mental model serves as a buffering moderator between team mindfulness and team resilience via team improvisation. Practical implications This study suggests managers take appropriate interventions of mindfulness to foster team resilience. Making explicit procedures for risk management and taking improvisational action appropriately are also key processes for addressing crises. Originality/value This study enriches the literature on the positive prediction effect of team mindfulness on team resilience. Combining team formalization with team improvisation, this study provides new alternatives for the process variables in the IPO framework. Furthermore, this paper reveals the “dark side” of the shared mental model on the relationship between team mindfulness and team resilience.