Browsing by Author "Cummings, Jonathon N"

Although subgroups are a central component of work teams, they have remained largely unexamined by organizational scholars. In three chapters, a theory and measure of subgroups are developed and then tested. The theory introduces a typology of subgroups and a depiction of the antecedents and consequences of subgroups. The measure, called the subgroup algorithm, determines the most dominant configurations of subgroups in real work teams--those that are most likely to influence team processes and outcomes. It contrasts the characteristics within a subgroup or set of subgroups versus the characteristics between subgroups or a set of subgroups for every potential configuration of subgroups on every work team in a given sample. The algorithm is tested with a simulation, with results suggesting that it adds value to the methodological literature on subgroups. The empirical test uses the subgroup algorithm to test key propositions put forth in the theory of subgroups. First, it is predicted that teams will perform better when identity-based subgroups are unequal in size and knowledge-based subgroups are equal in size. Second, it is predicted that, although teams will perform better with an increasing number of both identity-based and knowledge-based subgroups, there will be a discontinuity in this linear function for identity-based subgroups: teams with two identity-based subgroups will perform more poorly than teams with any other number of identity-based subgroups. The subgroup algorithm is used to test these predictions in a sample of 326 work teams. Results generally support the predictions.

Expertise is regarded as the most important asset for groups working on knowledge-intensive tasks. This dissertation advances a multi-dimensional conception of group expertise that includes depth, breadth and variety as three distinct dimensions, and develops a model of the joint effect of the three dimensions on knowledge sharing and group performance. Two empirical studies test different components of the model. Using data on 174 groups from a Fortune 500 telecommunications company, one study supports the hypothesis that depth of group expertise will have a less positive effect on group performance as breadth of group expertise increases, particularly when groups engage in a low level of external task process. Using data on knowledge sharing networks among 44 employees of a supply chain service organization, the second study probes into dyadic interactions underlying group process, and tests how individual variety of experience, functional department experience (proxy for depth of expertise at the individual level), and dyadic functional difference (proxy for breadth of expertise at the dyadic level) affect dyadic knowledge sharing. Results show that individual variety of experience improves ease of knowledge sharing, and that the negative effect of functional department experience on ease of knowledge sharing is mitigated by individual variety of experience. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are considered, and directions for future studies are discussed.

In this dissertation, I propose a new framework for conceptualizing goal interdependence in teams and expand our understanding of team-related goal cognition. In Chapters 1 and 2, I propose that the goals of any one team can be viewed as being embedded a team goal system made up of the goals each member holds for the team as a whole, the individual goals that each member holds in relation to the team’s goal(s), the external, personal goals held by each member of a team (i.e., extra-team goals, ETGs), and the goals each member possesses for one another (i.e., relational goals). In the empirical part of my dissertation (Chapters 3 and 4) I use a mixed methods approach to investigate the role of team goal system awareness on individual and team processes and outcomes. In Chapter 3, I present findings from two qualitative studies and develop theory regarding the factors that influence the development and impact of team goal system awareness for individuals and teams. In Chapter 4, I present results from a laboratory experiment where I compare the effects of disclosing different types of extra-team goals on individual perceptions (commitment, trust, satisfaction, viability) and team performance. I find that, although there are efficiency and motivational benefits associated with team goal system awareness, teams must mitigate the perceived interpersonal costs that are associated with this awareness in order to benefit from it. In Chapter 5, I discuss implications of this work and avenues for future research.