Thomas de Vries

Intrapersonal Functional Diversity and Multiteam System Performance: A Moderated Dual-Pathway Model

This study investigates the role of intrapersonal functional diversity for the performance of multiteam systems (i.e., teams of teams). Based on theoretical perspectives from cognitive psychology, ...

The Duality of Boundary Spanning: Its Positive and Negative Effects on Team Effectiveness

In increasingly complex and turbulent environments, teams are called upon to coordinate with other teams in order to achieve organizational objectives. This external coordination, referred to as boundary spanning, can have many benefits for teams; however, even the earliest research on boundary spanning suggests that this activity can also have strong negative effects on team performance and outcomes. The current empirical research has largely focused on the benefits that teams draw from boundary spanning activity without addressing the potential for negative effects of focusing on boundary spanning at the expense of other activities. We use team-level resource allocation theory to develop and test a set of moderators that describe when teams do or do not benefit from boundary spanning activities. Our results show that boundary spanning benefits teams only when there are significant inter-team resource constraints and when teams are aware of the resources already available in their team.

Managing coordination in multiteam systems: integrating micro and macro perspectives

This publication contains reprint articles for which IEEE does not hold copyright. Full text is not available on IEEE Xplore for these articles.

Improving Evaluation of Civil-Military Cooperation

Military, governmental, and non-governmental organizations need to collaborate in missions for crisis situations, because no single organization can independently resolve the complex political and socio-economic problems in such situations (e.g., NATO 2010; EU 2013; UN 2013). Indeed, civil-military cooperation helps organizations to synergistically combine resources, expertise, and efforts when dealing with complex issues during peace-support efforts (Haysom 2013). It also prevents that organizations engage in duplicative or conflicting efforts. Hence, building and maintaining civil-military cooperation is vital. Civil-military cooperation is, however, often troubled by the diversity among organizations’ objectives, motives, interests, and planning horizons. Even when willing to cooperate, organizations typically strive to maintain their autonomy and differ in how much cooperation they want to engage in. Moreover, organizations typically lack the sophisticated capacities for sensing other organizations’ needs for information and assistance (Essens et al. 2013).