STEM-EF: A Scrum Teamwork Effectiveness Model Based on Emotional Factors

Background: Team effectiveness is critical to Agile Software Development (ASD), particularly within the Scrum framework. Existing models focus on behavioral and structural dimensions such as communication, coordination, and shared leadership, but largely overlook emotional dynamics. Objective: This study proposes the Scrum Team Effectiveness Model – Emotional Factors (STEM-EF), a novel instrument designed to assess team effectiveness in Scrum by incorporating emotional constructs. Method: STEM-EF was developed around four emotional factors—Emotional Intelligence (EI), Interpersonal Skills (IS), Conflict Resolution (CR), and Psychological Safety (PS)—and tailored to Scrum events, roles, and artifacts. Validation employed a mixed-methods approach, with content validity assessed using the Content Validity Index (CVI) and perceived utility evaluated through the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Data were collected from 11 Scrum experts, 56 team members, and 2 psychologists via interviews, focus groups, and surveys. Results: STEM-EF demonstrated high content validity across relevance, coherence, and simplicity (S-CVI-Relevance = 1.00, S-CVI-Coherence = 1.00, S-CVI-Simplicity = 0.99). TAM results indicated favorable perceptions of usefulness and intention to adopt the instrument. Conclusion: STEM-EF is a content-validated and practically promising instrument for integrating emotional assessment into Scrum team evaluations. It offers both researchers and practitioners a structured means to explore and support emotional dynamics that may affect team performance.