From an Intrateam to an Interteam Perspective of Effectiveness: The Role of Interdependence and Boundary Activities

Abstract

The emergence of team-based organizations requires shifting the focus from intrateam to interteam activities in order to understand organizational functioning. This article develops a model of interteam boundary activity and proposes that boundary activity is contingent on interteam goal and task interdependence. In addition, the authors propose that team heterogeneity, interteam power relations, organizational culture, and external environment moderate the relationships between interteam interdependence configuration and boundary activity. The preferred boundary activity further determines whether higher team performance fully translates into higher organizational performance. The article concludes by considering the research and practice challenges implied by the proposed model.

Team Boundary Activity

“…In line with this thinking, we define a team's boundary activities as processes necessary for a team to carry out the task at hand, and directed at external agents in its focal environment to obtain resources and promote and protect itself (Drach-Zahavy & Somech, 2010;Yan & Louis, 1999). In that way, boundary activities should refer to all the activities that a team engages in to manage its boundaries.…”

“…Instead, each team must strive to reach its own goals. It has no need to loosen its boundaries for interactions with other teams; it must tighten them to signal to team members to invest their efforts within to accomplish the team's goals (Drach-Zahavy & Somech, 2010).…”

“…M. Howell & Shea, 2006;Marrone, 2010). However, several scholars have provided compelling arguments as to why the two kinds of boundary activities might not be conflicting, but instead complementary (Campion, Papper, & Medsker, 1996;Drach-Zahavy & Somech, 2010;Yan & Louis, 1999). Leadership researchers, taking a more holistic view of boundary activities, recognize that boundary-tightening and -loosening activities are equally important for promoting team and organizational effectiveness (J. P. Howell & Costley, 2006).…”

“…With the increase in competition, complexity, and environmental demands, organizations are adopting and improving team-based structures to ensure the most efficient handling of their subtasks and the highest organizational effectiveness (Ancona & Caldwell, 2007;Drach-Zahavy & Somech, 2010;Marrone, 2010). For obvious reasons, studies have typically referred to teams as isolated entities, separate from their organizations; therefore, the key questions have focused on intra-group structures and processes (e.g., Barrick, Bradley, Kristof-Brown, & Colbert, 2007).…”

Perceptions of Task Interdependence and Functional Leadership in Schools

“…As a result, it has been suggested task interdependence may not only be related to task characteristics, and the way work is organized, but also to the way in which people work together (Ramamoorthy & Flood, 2004). Drach-Zahavy & Somech (2010) have contended while task interdependence may be an objective structure, it is likely team members will also attend to social cues, such as the behaviors of leaders and other team members, who 'signal to them how to perceive, interpret and behave' (p.150). Thus, task interdependence is more likely to be 'a blend of objective cues and subjective perceptions of team members' efforts to understand them' (Drach-Zahavy & Somech, 2010, p. 150).…”