Ramón Rico

The Effects of Diversity Faultlines and Team Task Autonomy on Decision Quality and Social Integration

This study examines the effects of diversity faultlines stemming from educational background and conscientiousness on team decision quality and social integration and the moderating role of team task autonomy. Using a 2 × 2 (Weak/Strong Faultlines × Low/High Team Task Autonomy) factorial design, 52 four-person teams performed a decision-making task. Diverse weak-faultline teams performed better and reported higher levels of social integration than did strong-faultline teams. Team task autonomy moderated these effects, showing that the differences become significant only under high autonomy conditions. Implications for team diversity research and design and management of work teams are discussed.

Change‐oriented leadership, satisfaction and performance in work groups

Purpose – To analyse the impact of change‐oriented leaders on group outcomes. An explanatory model is proposed, in which the team climate (in particular as it relates to innovation) mediates between change‐oriented leadership and group outcomes, while group potency reinforces this relationship.Design/methodology/approach – This study is designed as a correlative and cross‐level research. The sample comprises 318 health‐care professionals in 78 health‐care teams at different public hospitals throughout Spain.Findings – Hierarchical regression analysis was used to evaluate mediating and moderating effects. Results offer considerable empirical support for the proposed model.Research limitations/implications – It would be of interest to increase the sample, differentiate it by service, and to get samples from other sectors, as well as to carry out experimental and longitudinal research. It would also be interesting to further explore the conditions that implement change‐oriented leadership impact, analysing e...

Effects of task interdependence and type of communication on performance in virtual teams

Purpose – To investigate the effects of within‐group task interdependence and the degree of communications synchrony on performance in virtual teams (VT).Design/methodology/approach – A 2 × 2 factorial design of 240 participants in Spain, randomly assigned to 80 three‐person teams, was used. Teams worked virtually (not meeting face‐to‐face), performing a merit‐rating task in a laboratory setting.Findings – The analyses revealed an interaction effect between task interdependence and synchrony of communication. High values of VT performance were found both under conditions of “low task interdependence” and “asynchrony of communication” and under conditions of “high task interdependence” and “synchrony of communication”. The results show that superior VT performance is contingent on the match between the nature of the task and the choice of communications modality.Research limitations/implications – First, additional research will be needed to confirm and extend the findings in actual working environments. S...

Bridging Team Faultlines by Combining Task Role Assignment and Goal Structure Strategies

This study tests whether the detrimental effects of strong diversity faultlines on team performance can be counteracted by combining 2 managerial strategies: task role crosscutting and superordinate goals. We conducted a 2 (crosscut vs. aligned roles) × 2 (superordinate vs. subgroup goals) experimental study. Seventy-two 4-person teams with faultlines stemming from gender and educational major performed a complex decision-making task. The results show that teams with crosscut roles perform better when they are assigned a superordinate goal than a subgroup goal, whereas teams with aligned roles are not affected by goal manipulations. This effect is mediated by elaboration of task-relevant information. Implications for theory and management of team faultlines are discussed.

Faultlines and Subgroups: A Meta-Review and Measurement Guide

Research on faultlines—hypothetical dividing lines splitting a team into homogeneous subgroups based on team members’ attributes—has produced several meta-analyses, reviews, and algorithms for faultline and subgroup detection. To help navigate this complexity, we summarize the current theories underlying faultline and subgroup research. We also compare the two most recent algorithms for computational faultline/subgroup detection, offer a guideline for choosing adequate algorithms, and recommend measure combinations for future research. We further review empirical faultlines and subgroup research and show that different contextual factors exhibit a strong influence on the effects of faultlines and subgroups. We discuss the need for further theorization on faultlines that does not rely on attribute salience, which considers the number of aligning attributes and the consequences of faultlines at the subgroup level. We conclude considering new potential applications of the faultline construct.

Team Learning and Effectiveness in Virtual Project Teams: The Role of Beliefs about Interpersonal Context

There has been increasing interest in team learning processes in recent years. Researchers have investigated the impact of team learning on team effectiveness and analyzed the enabling conditions for the process, but team learning in virtual teams has been largely ignored. This study examined the relationship between team learning and effectiveness in virtual teams, as well as the role of team beliefs about interpersonal context. Data from 48 teams performing a virtual consulting project over 4 weeks indicate a mediating effect of team learning on the relationship between beliefs about the interpersonal context (psychological safety, task interdependence) and team effectiveness (satisfaction, viability). These findings suggest the importance of team learning for developing effective virtual teams.

Understanding the changing nature of psychological contracts in 21st century organizations A multiple-foci exchange relationships approach and proposed framework

In recent years, scholars have increasingly recognized that the theoretical underpinnings of employee-organization relationships (EOR) are in need of further extension in light of recent organizational changes. In prior research, the study of EOR has been based on social exchange theory, and the psychological contract (PC) has played a central role in understanding this crucial aspect of organizational life. The main objective of this paper is to provide an integration of the existing literature by adopting a multiple-foci exchange relationships approach. Specifically, we looked at identification; the quality of relationships and exchanges with the leader, coworkers, and other organizational agents; justice perceptions involving several organizational sources; and perceived organizational, leader, and coworker support to expand our understanding of the PC. Overall, we advocate a multiple-foci exchange relationships approach that will ultimately enable us to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the complex nature of PCs in 21st century organizations.

Editorial letter: Publishing at EJWOP

Welcome to the 2013 EJWOP first issue. As I write this editorial note, EJWOP has already processed 314 original manuscripts, which will be around 350 by the end of December 2012. This past year, we redoubled our efforts for developing a better journal by consolidating our Editorial Board in two areas. First, we have begun a renewal of the Consulting Editors Board, to be finished in 2013. Second, we have added two new Associate Editors: Ana Cristina Costa and Dieter Zapf. These two new Associate Editors will replace Pascale Le Blanc, Birgit Schyns, and Christian Vandenberghe, for whom we have much gratitude for their outstanding work for the journal in the past 4 years. We increased again the journal impact factor reported in the Journal of Citation Reports, from 1.489 to 1.962, while reducing manuscript turnaround times from 69 in 2011 to 51 days in 2012. In addition, we modified the process for submission and selection of Special Issues in our journal. In continuing this growing and development, it is our desire at EJWOP to strive in publishing the highest quality manuscripts possible, and to give our readers timely and quality feedback by creating added value in the review process so they can improve their work. As a means of accomplishing these goals, we discussed and agreed, as a Review Board, that our authors will be better helped if we clearly communicate our expectations about submissions. With this goal in mind, we seek to make explicit the minimum requirements that an article submitted to EJWOP should meet to successfully start and progress through the review process. The following 10 points summarize the results of our debate:

Teams as Complex Adaptive Systems: Reviewing 17 Years of Research

At the turn of the century, Arrow, McGrath, and Berdahl portrayed teams as complex adaptive systems (CAS). And yet, despite broad agreement that this approach facilitates a better understanding of teams, it has only now been timidly incorporated into team research. To help fully incorporate the logic of teams as CAS in the science of teams, we review extant research on teams approached from a nonlinear dynamical system theory. Using a systematic review approach, we selected 92 articles published over the last 17 years to integrate what we know about teams as CAS. Our review reveals the evidence supporting teams as CAS, and the set of analytical techniques to analyze team data from this perspective. This review contributes to teams’ theory and practice by offering ways to identify both research methods and managing techniques that scholars and practitioners may apply to study and manage teams as CAS.

Pushing the Boundaries of Multiteam Systems in Research and Practice: An Introduction

Abstract Purpose As work demands have become increasingly complex, organizations and agencies are progressively turning toward larger systems comprised of teams, or multiteam systems (MTSs), to accomplish multifaceted tasks in challenging environments. Today, many organizations require these complex systems in order to achieve the dynamic goals that are required of our ever-changing world. Subsequently, MTSs have become a growing area of interest in organizational research, primarily due to their increasing prominence in organizational settings. Design In this introductory chapter, our goal is to highlight a selection of existing research regarding MTSs that serves to answer the question, “What do we know about MTSs?” while also setting up the question that serves as a recurrent theme throughout this volume, “Where does our research need to go in order to better serve MTSs in practice?” Findings While there has been a great advancement in the area of MTSs in recent years, there is still much to be explored in terms of the challenges and opportunities that MTSs afford in practice. Originality/value It is the goal of this chapter that we will set the stage for readers interested in identifying the current trends, dynamics, and issues in MTSs in the real world for the purposes of both expanding our research and theory on MTSs as well as further building the foundation for improving their development, implementation, and effectiveness “in the wild.”