Team im Rhythmus

Published in 2016 by Hollitzer Wissenschaftsverlag, the study examines the influence of analogous rhythmic interventions on team-relevant social skills, flow, and group cohesion. Gerhard Kero provides the first empirical evidence for the power of rhythm in team-building processes.

“Team in Rhythm” explores the connection between synchronization-based rhythm experiences in teams and the development of team-relevant social skills, the enhancement of group cohesion, and the occurrence of flow experiences. It illuminates the current state of research on whether both the theoretically assumed and the already evident group-binding effects of rhythmic interactions, from the perspectives of evolutionary biology, psychology, rhythm research, anthropology, neuroscience, and competence research, are transferable to teams in the modern workplace and to what extent they are suitable as a basis for developing team-relevant social skills.

Team in Rhythm The evidence-based study shows that analog rhythmic interventions in controlled settings, such as das.imtakte.team©, do indeed have a functionally cohesive effect on groups. They extend to the social level and are therefore far more than just musical adventures. They demand and encourage focused participation in the social event, help participants to engage more intensely with what they are doing together, increase group cohesion, and prove to be particularly effective team-building measures for developing social skills—and they’re fun, too!

The empirical study was conducted as a quantitative survey with 252 participants who took part in one of 15 das.imtakte.team© team drumming events between July 2014 and February 2015.

Strong, positive changes were observed during and immediately after the team drumming event.

Immediately following the team drumming event, participants were asked about the characteristics and effects their team could generate through this analogous rhythmic intervention. The question regarding the group experience yielded an unequivocal result: when asked whether the drumming event was a positive experience for the group, all respondents, including the critical and skeptical ones, answered in the affirmative, indicating the community-building effect of the intervention.

The bar chart below is self-explanatory; we consider it confirmation of our work.

Even the 8% of participants (n=20) who initially had a negative attitude towards the team drumming event had a predominantly very positive overall impression of the team experience. An overwhelming majority of 85% stated that their impression had changed for the better.

More than 3/4 of these initially skeptical participants would recommend the format, and only 5% would be unlikely to participate in a team drumming event in the future.

For every single participant, the team drumming event was a positive team experience. Over 90% perceived a strong sense of community, a unifying and synchronizing effect of rhythm, would participate again, recommend das.imtakte.team©, and felt supported by the group. More than 75% saw a greater willingness to cooperate and team spirit brought into their team and experienced a state of flow. The stronger this flow, the more joy was felt. Regardless of team parameters, communication was stimulated, and for more than two-thirds of respondents, trust in the team was both brought about and sustainably strengthened. The perception of a respectful and tolerant atmosphere increased significantly during the team drumming event. Over 80% were able to adapt to the collective rhythm. Regardless of age, gender, and formal education, more than 60% saw social competence brought into their team, while less than 10% disagreed.

Teams in sync are intact. The research results show that rhythmic experience within a team can be a basis for the development of social skills and thus be beneficial in a work-sharing context.