Paper Title
Covid-19 and Group Dynamics: External Crisis Moderates the link between Intrateam Conflicts and team Effectiveness - A Longitudinal Long-Term Study Team Effectiveness during Crises – Covid-19 Case Study

Abstract
Aim of study - The study conducted on teams in the public and private sector examined the contribution of intra team conflicts on team effectiveness and whether these relationships change under crisis conditions: anticipated uncertainty [pre-pandemic], uncertainty [year following Covid-19 outbreak] and chaos [global outbreak of Covid-19]. That is, do external crises impact how intra team conflicts contribute to or impair team effectiveness? Frame of research – A three-year study that included four samples: pre-Covid, Covid-off set and one year & two years from offset. A self-report questionnaire was used in which respondents were asked about team conflict and their perception of team effectiveness. Gender &Frequency of Meetings control variable. Findings of study – Pre-pandemic, under conditions of anticipated uncertainty, an inverse correlation was found among men and women – the higher the level of intrateam conflicts, the lower the effectiveness. When Covid-19 erupted and its ramifications were unclear (chaos), no correlation was found between team conflicts and team effectiveness; intrateam conflicts did not contribute to or impair team effectiveness, in both groups. One-year Covid-19, under conditions of uncertainty, interesting correlations were found: a negative direct correlation between conflict and effectiveness among men with no such correlation found among women. two years after under conditions of uncertainty, interesting correlations were found: a negative direct correlation between conflict and effectiveness among women with no such correlation found among men.Implications – Research was innovative in that it focused on team effectiveness during crises. Pre-Covid-19, organizations invested in managing team conflicts, understanding them, and making conflicts constructive to maintain team effectiveness. In the case of external crises, teams apparently do not respond to existing team conflicts and performance remains high. As crises recede, men show trends of returning to earlier behavioural patterns whereas women continue putting conflicts aside and focusing on effective teamwork. This finding may show the importance of using teams during crisis and their ability for high-level performance despite intrateam conflicts. Keywords - Intrateam Conflicts, External Crisis, Team Effectiveness, Gender.