Search results
1 – 10 of over 7000Nan Hu, Zhi Chen, Jibao Gu, Shenglan Huang and Hefu Liu
This paper aims to examine the effects of task and relationship conflicts on team creativity, and the moderating role of shared leadership in inter-organizational teams. An…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the effects of task and relationship conflicts on team creativity, and the moderating role of shared leadership in inter-organizational teams. An inter-organizational team normally comprises employees from collaborated organizations brought together to conduct an initiative, such as product development. Practitioners and researchers have witnessed the prevalence of conflict in inter-organizational teams. Despite significant scholarly investigation into the importance of conflict in creativity, a deep theoretical understanding of conflict framework remains elusive.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire survey was conducted in China to collect data. Consequently, 54 teams, which comprised 54 team managers and 276 team members, were deemed useful for the study.
Findings
By testing our hypotheses on 54 inter-organizational teams, we found that relationship conflict has a negative relationship with team creativity, whereas task conflict has an inverted U-shaped (curvilinear) relationship with team creativity. Furthermore, when shared leadership is stronger, the negative relationship with team creativity is weaker for relationship conflict, whereas the inverted U-shaped relationship with team creativity is stronger for task conflict.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitation is cross-sectional, which cannot establish causality in relationships. Despite this potential weakness, the present research provides insights into conflict, leadership and inter-organizational collaboration literature.
Practical implications
The findings of this study offer some guidance on how managers can intervene in the conflict situations of inter-organizational teams.
Social implications
Managers are struggling to identify ways to effectively manage team conflict when a team of diverse individuals across organizational boundaries are brought together to solve a problem. The findings of this study offer some guidance on how managers can intervene in the conflict situations of inter-organizational teams.
Originality/value
This paper provides understandings about how relationship and task conflicts affect team creativity in inter-organizational teams.
Details
Keywords
Elisa Mattarelli and Amar Gupta
The increased use of distributed work arrangements across organizational and national borders calls for in‐depth investigation of subgroup dynamics in globally distributed teams…
Abstract
Purpose
The increased use of distributed work arrangements across organizational and national borders calls for in‐depth investigation of subgroup dynamics in globally distributed teams (GDTs). The purpose of this paper is to focus on the social dynamics that emerge across subgroups of onsite‐offshore teams and affect the process of knowledge sharing.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative study of eight GDTs working around the clock is conducted. These GDTs are part of organizations involved in offshoring of knowledge intensive work.
Findings
The evidence shows that the specific status cue of being onsite drives status differentials across subgroups; these differentials are reduced when the client is directly involved with the activities of the team. The negative effect of high status differentials on knowledge sharing is mitigated by the presence of straddlers, who assist in the transfer of codified knowledge. Conversely, when status differentials are low, straddlers hamper spontaneous direct learning between onsite members and offshore members.
Practical implications
This work has practical implications for organizations that want to use GDTs to achieve a faster (and cheaper) development of products and services. Managers should carefully design the organizational structures of GDTs and consider upfront the trade offs related to client involvement in teamwork and the use of straddlers across sites.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to the literature on subgroup dynamics, applying and extending the theory of status characteristics theory.
Details
Keywords
Debmalya Mukherjee, Susan C. Hanlon, Ben L. Kedia and Prashant Srivastava
“Organizational identification” refers to a perception of “oneness” with an organization. The purpose of this paper is to provide a model of organizational identification for…
Abstract
Purpose
“Organizational identification” refers to a perception of “oneness” with an organization. The purpose of this paper is to provide a model of organizational identification for virtual team workers and examine the role of cultural dimensions in a virtual setting. Specifically, it poses individualism‐collectivism and uncertainty avoidance as potential situational contingencies that may affect the determinants of an organizational identification relationship in a virtual work setting.
Design/methodology/approach
The proposed research framework delineates how cultural dimensions relate to virtual work‐associated individual (interpersonal trust, need for affiliation) and environmental (spatial and cultural dispersion, ICT‐enabled communication) factors and organizational identification. Several testable propositions emerge.
Findings
This study provides a foundation for empirical studies that examine the linkages among organizational identification, virtual work, and environment‐related factors and cultural variables.
Practical implications
This study has particular implications for managing virtual teams, as well as specific suggestions for a typology of virtual team members. The typology supports a consideration of expected levels of organizational identification, depending on virtual team member types.
Originality/value
Scholars have devoted very little attention to exploring what factors drive or impede organizational identification in cross‐cultural virtual teams. This paper attempts to fill that void by linking the immediate determinants and the contingency role of cultural variables or organizational identification in the context of virtual work.
Details
Keywords
Siu Mee Cheng and Cristina Catallo
Canada's population is aging and there are concerns that the welfare system may not support the increased demands on it. Integrated health and social care (IHSC) produces positive…
Abstract
Purpose
Canada's population is aging and there are concerns that the welfare system may not support the increased demands on it. Integrated health and social care (IHSC) produces positive health and system outcomes but it needs to be better understood within a Canadian context. The purpose of this collective case study of three IHSC initiatives in Alberta, Ontario and Nova Scotia was to determine the factors that support successful services integration among different healthcare and social services organizations serving older adults within a Canadian context.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used the Cheng and Catallo (2020) IHSC conceptual framework (CF) to guide the research. Primary data were based on key informant interviews of representatives from organizations that comprised each case and focus groups. A cross-case analysis was undertaken to determine common themes.
Findings
The cross-case analysis revealed that the three cases shared common integration and external influence factors based on the Cheng and Catallo (2020) CF. Some new factors were identified.
Originality/value
The study revealed that the Canadian context was important in influencing integration in the three cases and that there is a unique Canadian aspect to IHSC. The study offers up practical insights for government leaders and service administrators to improve IHSC for older adults. The study also identifies how the Cheng and Catallo (2020) IHSC CF can be enhanced and points to research opportunities to test the framework.
Details
Keywords
Looks at new communications technologies, such as videoconferencing systems, which have enabled the creation of “virtual organizations” and “virtual teams”. Investigates the…
Abstract
Looks at new communications technologies, such as videoconferencing systems, which have enabled the creation of “virtual organizations” and “virtual teams”. Investigates the hypotheses that both “social presence” and “media richness” associated with a communication medium used to support geographically‐dispersed software development teams, will have a significant impact on team productivity, perceived interaction quality, and group process satisfaction. Results supported the predicted superiority of the face‐to‐face setting over the videoconferencing setting with regard to team productivity. They also indicated that a communication medium characterized as high in both “media richness” and “social presence” can engender a greater sense of interaction quality. There were no significant differences between the face‐to‐face and videoconferencing settings for group process satisfaction.
Details
Keywords
Khairil Izam Ibrahim, Seosamh B. Costello and Suzanne Wilkinson
The purpose of this paper is to identify, review and classify the key practice indicators of successful team integration in construction projects, with the intention of gaining a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify, review and classify the key practice indicators of successful team integration in construction projects, with the intention of gaining a greater insight into how they influence team dynamics.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a review paper that draws on existing research and, through observation of previous studies, identifies patterns to produce a greater understanding of the indicators affecting team integration in construction projects.
Findings
The review identified 15 key practice indicators of team integration from the literature, which together form the basis for transforming disparate project teams into a highly integrated team. It is argued that although there is an element of interdependence between some of the indicators, for the purpose of defining team integration practice by means of key indicators it is important to consider them independently because each indicator represents a key element of team integration practice. The indicators were classified as either “Relationship Oriented Indicators”, whereby the relationship between project teams is directly influenced through human behaviours, or “Non‐Relationship Oriented”, whereby relationships are indirectly influenced by putting systems or processes in place to promote, or at the very least allow, members of different functions to collaborate.
Practical implications
The process of integration is a result of a combination of many indicators and this review presents a complete picture of team integration for construction projects developed from past team integration research. It is hoped that the proposed framework will make a contribution by providing the necessary groundwork for further research and development in this area, with the aim of bridging the current gaps in the understanding of team integration in the construction management discipline.
Originality/value
Although there is a diversity of current thinking on team integration practice in construction projects, there is currently no consolidated set of key indicators embedded in integration practice. This study achieves that while recognising a complex system of interdependency between some of the indicators. It further extends the team integration literature by providing deeper insights into the characterisation and importance of exercising and improving integration practice.
Details
Keywords
Rehab Iftikhar and Tuomas Ahola
This paper aims to focus on knowledge sharing process in an interorganizational setting. For this purpose, the context examined is the Orange Line metro train project in Pakistan…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to focus on knowledge sharing process in an interorganizational setting. For this purpose, the context examined is the Orange Line metro train project in Pakistan, in which multiple organizations are involved.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper adopts a single case study approach. The empirical data comprises semi-structured interviews and archival documents. Thematic analysis is used for analyzing the data.
Findings
The findings present distinct mechanisms of knowledge sharing, which include knowledge sharing tools, both formal and informal; types of knowledge, i.e. tacit and explicit knowledge; and levels of units such as individuals, teams, organizations (internal knowledge sources) and the interorganizational level (external knowledge sources). Based on the findings, the authors propose an integrative model of the interplay between knowledge sharing tools, types of knowledge and levels of units. Furthermore, the findings depict that the knowledge sharing tools and types of knowledge are important at different levels of units, but their importance may vary depending on whether they are primary or supporting for different levels of units.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the literature on knowledge-based theory by examining knowledge sharing in an interorganizational project. The proposed model deepens our understanding of the practices and processes of interorganizational knowledge sharing.
Details
Keywords
Rehab Iftikhar and Catherine Lions
The paper aims at identifying knowledge sharing barriers and enablers in an interorganizational setting at different levels of units. For this purpose, the interorganizational…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims at identifying knowledge sharing barriers and enablers in an interorganizational setting at different levels of units. For this purpose, the interorganizational setting of Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit project in Pakistan is examined.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts an exploratory single case study approach. The empirical data comprise semi-structured interviews and archival documents. Thematic analysis is used for analyzing the data.
Findings
The findings identify distinct knowledge sharing barriers and enablers at different level of units (individual, team, organizational and interorganizational). Based on the findings, an integrative framework of knowledge sharing barriers, enablers, and levels of units is proposed. Furthermore, the findings provide guidance to managers as the findings show how different knowledge sharing barriers and enablers are important at different levels of units.
Originality/value
This study novelty lies in determining separate sets of knowledge sharing barriers and enablers at different level of units in an interorganizational project. This study contributes to the literature on knowledge sharing by studying an interorganizational project.
Details
Keywords
Pilar Pazos, María Carmen Pérez-López and María José González-López
Although the importance of teamwork competencies and effective conflict management in entrepreneurship education is recognised, we have limited knowledge of how these factors…
Abstract
Purpose
Although the importance of teamwork competencies and effective conflict management in entrepreneurship education is recognised, we have limited knowledge of how these factors interact to influence performance in entrepreneurial teams. This research explores teamwork competencies as a predictor of entrepreneurial team performance and the moderating effect of emerging cognitive and interpersonal team conflict as levers in entrepreneurship learning.
Design/methodology/approach
A time-lagged survey method was used to collect data from 49 teams (156 individuals) of undergraduate students in an experiential new venture creation course. A predictive model of entrepreneurial team performance through hierarchical regression analyses and moderated-moderation analyses was tested.
Findings
Results reveal that teamwork competencies have a significant and direct influence on entrepreneurial team performance and that intragroup conflict strengthens that relationship when high levels of cognitive conflict and low levels of interpersonal conflict emerge.
Practical implications
The findings have implications for the design of entrepreneurial training programs, which will benefit from interventions aimed at teamwork competency development that incorporate strategies promoting constructive cognitive conflict while preventing the emergence of interpersonal conflict.
Originality/value
This study is a step forward in entrepreneurship education research from the perspective of social and interpersonal processes by identifying the patterns of intra-team conflict that lead to more effective entrepreneurial teams and more productive use of teamwork competencies in a learning-by-doing entrepreneurial context.
Details
Keywords
Rehab Iftikhar and Khadija Mawra
This paper focuses on knowledge storage, knowledge accessibility and the associated challenges with these processes in an interorganizational project. For this purpose, the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper focuses on knowledge storage, knowledge accessibility and the associated challenges with these processes in an interorganizational project. For this purpose, the context of the Orange Line (OL) metro train project in Pakistan is examined, where multiple organizations were involved.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts an exploratory single case study approach. The empirical data comprise semi-structured interviews and archival documents. Thematic analysis is used for analyzing the data.
Findings
The distinct findings include (1) the use of knowledge storage systems, such as manual storage systems, electronic storage systems and assigning a dedicated resource; (2) that knowledge accessibility occurs at different levels within the organization (including intradepartmental and interdepartmental levels) as well as at interorganizational levels and (3) the challenges, such as misuse of knowledge, time pressures, confidentiality of sensitive knowledge, government regulations and the reliance on human memory, which are associated with knowledge storage and knowledge accessibility. Based on the findings, an integrative framework of the interplay between knowledge storage, knowledge accessibility and challenges is proposed.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the literature on resource-based theory by examining knowledge storage and accessibility in an interorganizational project.
Details