A review of the literature on cross-functional integration (2010–2020): trends and recommendations

Abstract

Purpose

Structural and technological changes are driving functional reorganization in many organizations. To date, there are very few articles that explicitly, consistently and cumulatively focus on cross-functional integration. This paper aims to review and explore the literature that does directly address cross-functional integration.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a literature review within the general management domain for the time frame 2010 to 2020 and identified 71 relevant articles that provide an overview of current practices and trends.

Findings

This conceptual paper reviews this identified literature and outlines key trends, noteworthy articles and a summary of relevant theories, and provides an overview of outcomes linked to cross-functional integration in the literature. The paper concludes with a set of recommendations for practitioners and an outline of potential research areas for academic researchers, including a call for more theory integration, building and testing in the area of cross-functionality.

Originality/value

This paper is the first of its kind to attempt to summarize the literature on cross-functionality (published between 2010 and 2020), a currently very fragmented field of study spread out across different management disciplines.

Citation

Jeske, D. and Calvard, T.S. (2021), "A review of the literature on cross-functional integration (2010–2020): trends and recommendations", International Journal of Organizational Analysis, Vol. 29 No. 2, pp. 401-414. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-04-2020-2144