Multiple team membership and job performance: The role of employees’ information‐sharing networks

Abstract

Individuals in contemporary work organizations are often involved in multiple teams at the same time. This study uses a social capital perspective to propose that employees’ multiple team memberships (MTM) offer the potential for individual performance benefits and detriments, depending on the characteristics of an employee’s information‐sharing network. To test our predictions, we gathered both archival and survey data at an organization for applied research in the Netherlands. We found that individual MTM was indirectly associated with an employee’s overall job performance by increasing the size of his or her information‐sharing network. As expected, however, this indirect relationship was contingent on the average strength of an employee’s network ties (i.e., the frequency of the respective interactions), such that MTM only improved overall performance when network ties were relatively weak. The indirect relationship between MTM and individual job performance was negative, by contrast, when an employee’s network ties were relatively strong. Together, these findings advance our understanding of the mechanisms and contingency factors that shape the performance consequences associated with individuals’ concurrent membership in multiple teams. Practitioner points An employee’s membership in multiple teams at the same time increases the size of his or her information‐sharing network within the organization. The performance consequences associated with this increased information‐sharing network hinge on the characteristics of an employee’s information‐sharing network. If the respective information‐sharing linkages are based on relatively infrequent interactions with colleagues, an employee’s multiple team membership indirectly benefits his or her overall job performance. If the respective information‐sharing linkages are based on relatively frequent and intense interactions with colleagues, however, an employee’s multiple team membership indirectly diminishes his or her overall job performance.

Can I leave my hat on? A cross‐level study of multiple team membership role separation

“…We began this paper by noting that past MTM research has focused almost exclusively on an individual's total number of concurrent team memberships. The first goal of this study was to respond to repeated calls for an examination of the diversity that may characterize an individual's MTM (e.g., van de Brake et al., 2020a, 2020b). In line with prior MTM research (e.g., Pluut et al., 2014; Zika‐Viktorsson et al., 2006), we used a role‐theory perspective to examine the implications of such MTM diversity.…”

“…First, our research has implications for individual multiteamers, especially those who have some discretion in selecting or shaping their team assignments (Mortensen et al., 2007). We recognize that it may be tempting to combine team assignments that offer new and more challenging environments and task responsibilities (van de Brake et al., 2020b). Based on our results, however, we recommend that multiteamers aim to minimize role separation when combining multiple team roles.…”

“…At the individual level, we followed recommendations by O'Leary et al. (2011) to include MTM number and the percentage of time spent on the focal team (0%–100%) as control variables (see also Cummings & Haas, 2012; van de Brake et al., 2020b). Furthermore, we controlled for organizational tenure (in years), because tenure was found to influence the strain and performance consequences of MTM (van de Brake et al., 2020a).…”

“…In doing so, we aim to advance theory and research on MTM as a multi‐dimensional phenomenon that shapes the experiences of both individuals and entire teams. We respond to repeated calls for empirical research that examines the implications of MTM diversity (O'Leary et al., 2011; van de Brake et al., 2018, 2020b), and highlight role theory as a useful framework in identifying meaningful, role‐related differences across multiple teams. Furthermore, our study contributes to the scarce literature on the cross‐level mechanisms that shape MTM's performance consequences across different levels of analysis (Berger et al., 2021; Crawford et al., 2019; Cummings & Haas, 2012).…”

Benevolent Leadership and Team Creative Performance: Creative Self-Efficacy and Openness to Experience

“…Previous studies on team creative performance have explored team input factors such as team membership and team leadership as antecedents in the teamwork model (Mathieu et al, 2008;Brake et al, 2020). Researchers proposed that team leadership is the most dominant influencing factor of organizational innovation (Barsh et al, 2008;Sun et al, 2014;Booms et al, 2017;Lyubovnikova et al, 2017).…”