The social and motivational forces that exist between team members create a bond, or cohesion, among them (Beal et al. 2003, p. 989). Motivating/confidence building involves encouraging the team members to perform better or to maintain their high levels of performance. In this processes the belief that the team can successfully perform a given task is pertinent. This belief has been termed team efficacy (Lindsley, Brass & Thomas 1995). Gully, Incalcaterra, Joshi and Beaubien (2002) conducted a review of studies on team-efficacy and found that the level of interdependence determined the relationship between team-efficacy and performance. Specifically they found that when interdependence was high, the relationship between team-efficacy and performance was larger. Parker and Collins (2010) found that belief in the team's outcomes positively influences team performance and belief in the team's processes positively affects team viability.

For a team to be motivated it is crucial that team members feel confident that they can be themselves. That is because teams, even more so than individuals, learn through trial and error. In that regard, people risk appearing being ignorant or incompetent when they ask questions or suggest something new. Thus, it is important to create a climate of 'psychological safety', i.e., minimise the risk of embarrassment within a team, to enhance communication and learning. Those teams whose members feel comfortable making mistakes, being honest about problems they predict and admitting mistakes are going to be more effective (Edmondson, Bohmer & Pisano 2001).