Unlocking team performance: How shared mental models drive proactive problem-solving.

This article investigates how shared mental models influence proactive problem-solving (PPS) behaviors at both individual and team levels and their impact on team operating effectiveness. Drawing on social identity theory and data from 266 employees across 48 teams in Italian manufacturing firms, the study finds that individuals' alignment with teammates' task-related mental models positively relates to their PPS behaviors, especially when combined with alignment in teamwork mental models. At the team level, shared teamwork mental models significantly enhance coordinated PPS performance, which in turn improves overall team operating effectiveness. The research highlights the distinct roles of taskwork and teamwork mental models in fostering individual initiative and collective coordination, offering implications for managers to develop shared cognitive frameworks to support proactive behaviors and team performance.