Eric Sundstrom

Research Interests

Effectiveness of work groups; work environment and group effectiveness.

Research statement

We are interested in research and theory on the relationship between interpersonal interaction in small groups and group performance and viability in work settings, focusing on group interaction process variables and organizational context factors such as reward systems, culture, and environment. We are also studying the relationship between features of physical environments and individual experience and interpersonal relationships in work settings.

Honors

• Editorial Board, Group Dynamics
• Executive Committee, APA Division 49, Group Psychology

Grants

• Tennessee Associates (1991-1994)
• Martin Marietta Energy Systems (1994)
• National Institute of Mental Health (1995-2000) [co-Inv]
  

Selected Publications

Sundstrom, E., Burnham, J.R., & Burnham, M. (2007). My next phase: The personality-based guide to your best retirement. New York, NY: Springboard Press. ISBN-10: 0-446-58117-8 & ISBN-13: 978-0-446-58117-2.

Halfhill, T. R., Nielsen, T. M., Sundstrom, E., & Weilbaecher, A. (2005). Group personality composition and performance in military service teams. Military Psychology, 17(1), 39-53.

Halfhill, T. R., Sundstrom, E., Lahner, J., Calderone, W., & Nielsen, T. M. (2005). Group personality composition and group effectiveness: An integrative review of empirical research. Small Group Research, 36 (1), 83-105.

Lounsbury, J. W., Welsh, D. P., Gibson, L. W., & Sundstrom, E. (2005). Broad and narrow personality traits in relation to cognitive ability in adolescents. Personality & Individual Differences, 38, 1009-1019.

Nielsen, T. M., Sundstrom, E., & Halfhill, T. R. (2005). Group dynamics and effectiveness: Five years of applied research. In S. A. Wheelan (Ed.) The Handbook of Group Research and Practice (pp. 285-311). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Lounsbury, J. W., Gibson, L. W., Steel, R. P., Sundstrom, E. D., & Loveland, J. L. (2004). An investigation of intelligence and personality in relation to career satisfaction. Personality & Individual Differences, 37(1), 181-189.

Lounsbury, J. W., Park, S. H., Sundstrom, E. D., Williamson, J., & Pemberton, A. (2004). Personality, career satisfaction, and life satisfaction: Test of a directional model. Journal of Career Assessment, 12, 395-406.

Lounsbury, J. W., Steel, R. P., Sundstrom, E. D., & Gibson, L. W. (2004). An investigation of personality traits in relation to adolescent school absenteeism. Journal of Youth & Adolescence, 33, 457-466.

Seat, E. & Sundstrom, E. (2004). Group norms. In M. J. Stahl (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Health Care Management (pp. 230-231). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Seat, E. & Sundstrom, E. (2004). Groupthink. In M. J. Stahl (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Health Care Management (pp. 233-235). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Seat, E. & Sundstrom, E. (2004). Team-based organization. In M. J. Stahl (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Health Care Management (pp. 553-554). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Seat, E. & Sundstrom, E. (2004). Teamwork. In M. J. Stahl (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Health Care Management (pp. 555-556). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Sundstrom, E. & Seat, E. (2004). Group performance. In M. J. Stahl (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Health Care Management (pp. 231-233). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Sundstrom, E. & Seat, E. (2004). Team-based compensation. In M. J. Stahl (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Health Care Management (pp. 551-553). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Lounsbury, J.W., Tatum, H., Gibson, L.W., Park, S.H., Sundstrom, E.D., Hamrick, F.L., Wilburn, D. (2003). The development of a Big Five adolescent personality scale. Psychoeducational Assessment 21, 111-133.

Lounsbury, J.W., Sundstrom, E., Loveland, J.M., Gibson, L.W. (2003). Intelligence “Big Five” personality traits, and work drive as predictors of course grade. Personality and Individual Differences 35, 1231-1239.

Lounsbury, J.W., Loveland, J.M., Sundstrom, E., Gibson, L.W., Drost, A.W., Hamrick, F. (2003). An investigation of personality traits in relation to career satisfaction. Journal of Career Assessment 11, 287-307.

Lounsbury, J.W., Gibson, L.W., Sundstrom, E., Wilburn, D., Loveland, J. (2003). An empirical investigation of the proposition that “school is work”: A comparison of personality-performance correlations in school and work settings. Journal of Education and Work 17, 119-131.

Lounsbury, J.W., Sundstrom, E., Gibson, L.W., Loveland, J.L. (2002) Broad versus narrow personality traits in predicting academic performance of adolescents. Learning and Individual Differences 14, 65-75.

Halfhill, T.R., Huff, J.W., Sundstrom, E., Nielson, T.M. (2003). Group personality composition and work team effectiveness: Key factor in staffing the team-based organization? In M. Beyerlein, D. Johnson, S. Beyerlein (Eds), Team Based Organizing: Advances in Interdisciplinary Studies of Work Teams, Vol 9. Oxford, UK: Elsevier.

Nielsen, T.M., Sundstrom, E., Soulen, S.K., Halfhill, T.R., Huff, J.W. (2003). Corporate citizenship in team-based organizations: An ingredient for sustained success. In M. Beyerlein, D. Johnson, S. Beyerlein (Eds), Team Based Organizing: Advances in Interdisciplinary Studies of Work Teams, Vol 9. Oxford, UK: Elsevier.

Halfhill, T.R., Huff, J.W., Sundstrom, E., Nielson, T.M. (2002) Group personality composition and work team effectiveness: Key factor in staffing the team-based organization? In M. Beyerlein, D. Johnson and S. Beyerlein (Eds), Team based organizing: Advances in interdisciplinary studies of work teams (Vol 9). Oxford, UK: Elsevier.

Nielsen, T.M., Sundstrom, E., Soulen, S.K., Halfhill, T.R., Huff, J.W. (2002) Corporate citizenship in team-based organizations: An ingredient for sustained success. In M. Beyerlein, D. Johnson and S. Beyerlein (Eds), Team based organizing: Advances in interdisciplinary studies of work teams (Vol 9). Oxford, UK: Elsevier.

Sundstrom, E. (2001) Workplace environmental psychology. International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences 24, 16593-16598.

Sundstrom, E., McIntyre, M., Halfhill, T., & Richards, H. (2000). Work groups: From the Hawthorne Studies to the work teams of the 1990s. Group Dynamics, 4, 44-67.

Sundstrom, E., and Associates. (1999). Supporting work team effectiveness: Best management practices for fostering high performance. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Huet-Cox, G.D., Nielsen, T.M., Sundstrom, E. (1999). Get the most from 360-degree feedback: Put it on the internet. HR Magazine 44: 92-103.

Eric Sundstrom

Professor
Ph.D., University of Utah (1973)

Email: esundstr@utk.edu
Phone: (865) 974-4780

Key words: Work teams, small groups, group effectiveness, group performance, work settings, reward, environmental psychology, physical environment.