Longitudinal studies on cohesion in a military context : A systematic review

Cohesion is one of the most studied group phenomena and there is an agreement among scholars today that cohesion is a key contributor to team functioning and performance. A large body of research has shown that cohesion has several positive effects on psychological, social, and behavioral outcomes. Since research on cohesion has increased significantly in recent decades there is a need for an updated overview of research regarding antecedents and outcomes of cohesion in a military context. In this paper, a systematic literature review is conducted.

The paper adheres to suggestions by scholars, relating the results in accordance with the dimensionality (i.e. social, task, or general) and organizational level of the construct (i.e. horizontal, vertical, or organizational) as well as focusing exclusively on studies with a longitudinal design. The paper highlights gaps in the literature and provides direction for future research.

What is the public significance of this article? 

This paper reviews longitudinal studies on antecedents and outcomes of cohesion in a military context. Although the popularity of cohesion studies, there are surprisingly few longitudinal studies. The need for valid and reliable measures are highlighted as well as the need for including other dimensions than social and horizontal (peer) cohesion. There is also a need for studies on long-term effects of cohesion interventions.