Psychology of Space Exploration
group cohesion as “the social glue that binds members of a group and keeps them
together in the face of internal and external threats.”^25
More recently, several authors have begun differentiating between the social or
interpersonal aspects of cohesion and those related to the group task. Interpersonal
cohesion includes dimensions such as interpersonal attraction and the intensity and
positive nature of relationships.^26 Task cohesion, in contrast, refers to the attrac-
tion or commitment to the group and task. Task-cohesive groups, according to S. J.
Zaccaro, J. Gualtieri, and D. Minionis, also “care about the success of other group
members because their own goal attainment is often inextricably bound to the col-
lective achievement. They will exert strong effort on behalf of the group and their
fellow members to facilitate group processes.”^27 Combining these two dimensions,
we can define cohesion as the combination of task cohesion, referring to the degree
to which group or team members are committed to the task, and interpersonal
cohesion, the degree to which individuals are attracted to each other and have pos-
itive relationships. Before addressing this construct in terms of gender differences, it
is worth briefly noting what is known regarding cohesion and performance.
After decades of research, dating back to the 1950s, the relationship between
cohesion and team performance continues to generate debate. Early efforts con-
cluded that group productivity and cohesiveness were not clearly related.^28 For
example, R. M. Stogdill found, in his review of 34 studies, that roughly a third of
the studies showed cohesive groups to be more productive, with a third reporting
that cohesive groups were less productive and the remaining third showing no dif-
ference.^29 However, none of the studies referenced by Stogdill used the same defini-
tion for group cohesion, and many made no attempt even to measure cohesiveness.
Later research showed support for a positive correlation between cohesion and per-
- Kenneth L. Dion, “Interpersonal and Group Processes in Long-Term Spaceflight Crews:
Perspectives from Social and Organizational Psychology,” Aviation, Space, and Environmental
Medicine 75, no. 7, sect. II (2004): C39. - S. A. Carless and C. De Paola, “The Measurement of Cohesion in Work Teams,” Small
Group Research 31, no. 1 (2000): 71–88. - S. J. Zaccaro, J. Gualtieri, and D. Minionis, “Task Cohesion as a Facilitator of Team
Decision Making Under Temporal Emergency,” Military Psychology 7, no. 2 (1995): 77–93. - I. D. Steiner, Group Processes and Productivity (New York: Academic Press, 1972).
- R. M. Stogdill, “Group Productivity, Drive, and Cohesiveness,” Organizational Behavior and
Human Performance 8 (1972): 26–43.