From we to me: A dual emphasis on social identity and task autonomy enhances personal learning in student teams

Student teams are routine in business education, yet instructors lack research-based strategies to promote personal learning in teams. Our study's purpose therefore is to investigate how a dual emphasis on social identity and individual autonomy in teams may enhance students' personal learning. In a study of 557 business undergrads in 215 teams, team self-selection and communication predicted social identity, and communication predicted autonomy. Team naming correlated with social identity but was not predictive in our multilevel model. Social identity mediated the relationship of team self-selection and communication to personal skill development; autonomy mediated the relationship of communication to personal learning. We discuss implications for student teams in business education.