Diversity in team composition, relationship conflict and team leader support on globally distributed virtual software development team performance

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 138-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vathsala Wickramasinghe ◽  
Sahan Nandula
Keyword(s):  
Software Development ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Team Leader ◽  
Relationship Conflict ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Team Composition ◽  
Team Leaders ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Leader Support ◽  
Globally Distributed

Purpose – This study aims to investigate whether diversity in team composition leads to relationship conflict, and, consequently, relationship conflict leads to team performance, and whether team leader support moderates the negative effects of relationship conflict on team performance. Design/methodology/approach – For the study, 216 team members working in globally distributed virtual software development projects responded. To examine the hypothesized relationships, structural equation modeling with maximum likelihood estimation was performed. Findings – It was found that diversity in team composition leads to relationship conflict, relationship conflict leads to team performance and team leader support moderates the latter relationship. Practical implications – The findings suggest the role of team leaders in reducing the harmful effect of relationship conflict on team performance. The findings imply the need of providing training to team leaders to create cohesive teams that deliver on project goals. Originality/value – Empirical studies on globally distributed virtual teams could provide new insights into challenges and issues associated with team composition, relationship conflict and team leader support in achieving higher levels of team performance.

Antecedents of shared leadership: empowering leadership and interdependence

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 271-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maj Schoeler Fausing ◽  
Thomas Skriver Joensson ◽  
Joshua Lewandowski ◽  
Michelle Bligh
Keyword(s):  
Team Performance ◽  
Shared Leadership ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Team Leader ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Empowering Leadership ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Antecedent Conditions ◽  
Goal Interdependence

Purpose – Shared leadership describes leadership as a collective and reciprocal activity distributed among the members of a team (Carson et al., 2007). The purpose of this paper is to investigate variables assumed to be antecedents for this leadership approach. In particular, the authors examine the importance of external empowering leadership and task and goal interdependence for shared leadership as well as the relationship between shared leadership and team performance. Design/methodology/approach – In order to test the hypotheses, the authors applied structural equation modeling using a field sample of 81 knowledge and manufacturing teams from a Danish company. Findings – Results indicated that an external empowering team leader and interdependence in the team significantly predicted the extent of shared leadership, which, in turn, was positively related to team leader ratings of team performance. Research limitations/implications – Overall, the study supports previous findings that the act of sharing leadership in a team may contribute to increased team performance. In addition, the study provides an initial understanding of antecedent conditions for the successful development of shared leadership. However, as the study was cross-sectional and conducted within a single organization, care must be taken in making causal claims or in generalizing the results without additional evidence. Originality/value – Few studies focus on the antecedents of sharing leadership. The authors obtained evidence, which suggests that the development of shared leadership may depend on the presence of an empowering team leader as well as task and goal interdependence in the team.

The effects of shared leadership on team performance

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiyeong Han ◽  
Jeewhan Yoon ◽  
Woojae Choi ◽  
Gyehoon Hong
Keyword(s):  
Team Performance ◽  
Shared Leadership ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Team Leaders ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
High Level ◽  
Task Oriented

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the relationship between shared leadership and team performance at the team level. Drawing on conservation of resources (COR) theory, the authors examine whether shared leadership is associated with team performance through team positive psychological capital (PsyCap). This study further examines whether task-oriented and relationship-oriented shared leadership affect team performance differently.Design/methodology/approachMulti-source survey data were obtained from 92 team leaders and 319 employees. An aggregation approach was used to analyze the data at the team level.FindingsA high level of shared leadership positively influences team performance through the mediation of team PsyCap. Moreover, relationship-oriented shared leadership is positively associated with team performance through team PsyCap, while task-oriented shared leadership is negatively associated with team performance without the mediating effect of team PsyCap.Practical implicationsBy focusing on the negative effects of task-oriented shared leadership and the positive effects of relationship-oriented shared leadership and team PsyCap on team performance, this study suggests new ways to manage team performance effectively and extends shared leadership literature.Originality/valueThis study applied COR theory to analyze the effect of shared leadership mediated by team PsyCap on team performance. It contributes to shared leadership literature by shedding light on the negative effects of task-oriented shared leadership and on the positive aspects of relationship-oriented shared leadership.

Relationship conflict, task conflict and teams’ transactive memory systems

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 626-640
Author(s):  
Jason M. Riley ◽  
William A. Ellegood
Keyword(s):  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Operations Management ◽  
Memory Systems ◽  
Transactive Memory ◽  
Task Conflict ◽  
Relationship Conflict ◽  
Conflict Task ◽  
Transactive Memory Systems ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand how task conflict and relationship conflict influence teams’ transactive memory systems (TMS) and by extension team performance. Design/methodology/approach Leveraging experiential learning theory and a popular operations management simulation tool, survey data from 341 students, who worked on 117 simulation teams, are collected. To examine the present hypotheses bootstrapping analysis and SPSS were used. Findings Both task and relationship conflict can significantly diminish TMS development, which in turn, inhibits team performance. Thus, when teams disagree on how to approach a task, conflict could diminish TMS formation. In addition, when one team member has a personal conflict with one or more members that it further amplifies the influence of task conflict. To address the negative influence of both task and relationship conflict, teams should develop processes to better utilize members’ specialized knowledge and work together in a coordinated manner. Research limitations/implications The research adds to the literature by articulating the mediating influence that relationship conflict has on task conflict. Furthermore, it highlights how teams can develop TMS as a means to improve team performance when using simulation tools as a teaching device. Originality/value This work broadens our understanding of the conditions under which educators can teach students about teams and teamwork capabilities. In addition, the authors expand the use of simulations as an experiential learning tool.

Shared leadership, diversity, and information sharing in teams

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 541-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia E. Hoch
Keyword(s):  
Information Sharing ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Shared Leadership ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Demographic Diversity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Variables ◽  
Leadership Diversity

Purpose – Shared leadership is increasingly important in today's organizations. The purpose of this paper is to examine the association between shared leadership and team performance, the moderating role of demographic diversity and the mediating role of information sharing on this relationship. Design/methodology/approach – The research used a field study design, quantitative data of employees from two different organizations. Data were analyzed with structural equation modeling analyses. Findings – Shared leadership was positively associated with team performance and this association was mediated by information sharing. Demographic diversity moderated the relationship between shared leadership and team performance, such that shared leadership was more strongly associated with team performance in more diverse teams and less in less diverse teams. Research limitations/implications – The results found support for moderating and mediating variables, explaining under what conditions and how shared leadership is associated with team performance in organizations. Practical implications – The findings highlight the importance of nurturing shared leadership, in particular as teams tend to grow more diverse in our todays’ work settings. They also highlight the importance of diversity in how shared leadership unfolds its potential. Social implications – The research highlights that shared leadership, diversity, and information are increasingly important in today's organizations and should be considered from a more positive standpoint. Originality/value – This research explored the association between shared leadership, demographic diversity, and information sharing with team performance. It represents a first step in examining the moderating and mediating variables of the shared leadership and team performance association.

Effects of structure characteristics of project network on conflicts and project success

2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangdong Wu ◽  
Zhibin Hu ◽  
Junwei Zheng ◽  
Xianbo Zhao ◽  
Jian Zuo
Keyword(s):  
Project Success ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Relationship Conflict ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Network Density ◽  
Network Centrality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Project Networks ◽  
Structure Characteristics ◽  
Project Network

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships between structure characteristics of project network, types of conflicts and project success. Design/methodology/approach Network density and centrality were used to reflect the structure characteristics of project network. This study collected 254 valid responses from construction professionals (including project managers, department managers and project engineers) via a questionnaire survey and analyzed the data using structural equation modeling and bootstrapping techniques. Findings The results showed that network centrality of project stakeholders negatively affected project success, whereas the effect of network density on project success was non-significant. The network density was positively related to task conflict, whereas negatively related to process and relationship conflict. Network centrality was positively related to relationship conflict and had negative effects on task and process conflict. Project conflicts served as the mediator, weakening the relationship between network structure characteristics and project success. Research limitations/implications This study provides direction for project managers and other stakeholders (e.g. owners, contractors and subcontractors) to appropriately establish social ties and manage conflicts to achieve project success. However, the potential influence of conflict transformation on project success, the dynamic nature of project networks and the network diagram were not addressed in the context of diverse culture. The future research should cover different stakeholders in order to get an integrative understanding of project networks and collect data from different cultural and industrial characteristics, extending and verifying the results. Originality/value The outcomes of the study provide evidence in regard to social network ties governance, which is comprised by the important or representative stakeholders, being a part of the effective strategy in improving project success. This study also contributes to the knowledge of conflict management in the project context, revealing the positive and negative of project conflicts and enriching the current understandings of the underlying mechanism of the project network characteristics on project success.

Leader dark personality and team agreeableness: a recipe for volatile team performance

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nishant Uppal
Keyword(s):  
Team Performance ◽  
Dark Triad ◽  
Team Leaders ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Sales Team ◽  
Performance Variability ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to examine the effects of the leaders’ dark triad (DT) personality traits, namely, Machiavellianism, Narcissism and Psychopathy, on the team performance variability. Furthermore, this work explores the role of team agreeableness in the above relationship. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on the longitudinal and archival data obtained from the sales team (team leaders: n = 190; team members: n = 832) of 19 firms dealing with fast-moving consumer goods in India. Findings From the finding of the study, it can be inferred that the presence of DT traits in the leaders causes high fluctuations in team performance. Besides, team agreeableness was found to moderate the relationship between the DT traits of the leaders and the team performance variability. Originality/value The theoretical and practical implications of the study are also discussed.

Exploring the impact of empowering leadership on knowledge sharing, absorptive capacity and team performance in IT service

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 366-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jungwoo Lee ◽  
Hyejung Lee ◽  
Jun-Gi Park
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Absorptive Capacity ◽  
Project Performance ◽  
Team Leader ◽  
Empowering Leadership ◽  
Content Type ◽  
It Service ◽  
It Project ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the mechanism through which empowering leadership of a team leader might influence the team performance in IT service. Design/methodology/approach – The data of 315 individuals collected from 85 different IT projects through online survey is used to empirically test the hypotheses. Findings – The results confirm that team leader′s empowering leadership raises the level of knowledge sharing among team members and increase the absorptive capacity of the team, and lead to better team performance. Research limitations/implications – This research theoretically presented and demonstrated the middle- and long-term impacts of empowering leadership resulting from the development of absorptive capacity as the effects of knowledge sharing in an IT project team are produced through absorptive capacity. Practical implications – The findings indicate that more effective in increasing the performance of IT project teams can be to strengthen empowering leadership than to promote traditional charisma or directive leadership. Knowledge sharing at a team level has the direct effect of improving project performance by providing information and knowledge regarding the related project, but on the other hand it contributes to making stronger the path of associating absorptive capacity with project performance. Originality/value – The impact of empowering leaderships on team performance of IT project has received less research attention. Little prior research has carried out such an integrated analysis in IT service context. This study contributes to knowledge management research by identifying a key antecedent of knowledge sharing.

Creative problem-solving techniques, paradigm shift and team performance

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 451-466
Author(s):  
Tony Proctor
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Thinking Styles ◽  
Team Composition ◽  
Creative Problem Solving ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Creative Problem

Purpose This paper aims to consider why creative problem-solving techniques may not always produce useful results and sets out to explain why this might be and what steps should be taken to avoid it happening. The paper provides an understanding of how different creative problem-solving techniques are best suited to gaining insights into problems requiring different degrees of paradigm shift. It argues that team members’ personalities and thinking styles and team composition should be taken into account when using the techniques. It examines the role the facilitator plays in planning and conducting the ideation process. Design/methodology/approach The paper provides simple illustrations of some of the creative problem-solving techniques. It reviews relevant literature and argues how individual differences of team members along with team composition can influence team performance in using the creative problem-solving techniques. Findings Personality, thinking styles and learning styles are relevant to the effective use of creative problem-solving techniques. Team composition, team motivation and mood factors should also be taken into account. The facilitator is key in ensuring the efficacy of the problem-solving process. Originality/value This paper will be helpful to academics who study creative problem-solving as well as informing management practitioners and trainers about the procedures and potential pitfalls to avoid.

Entrepreneurial leadership and employee innovative behavior in the software development firms: do employees' epistemic curiosity and creative process engagement matter?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Awais Khan
Keyword(s):  
Software Development ◽  
Creative Process ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Entrepreneurial Leadership ◽  
Innovative Behavior ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Epistemic Curiosity

PurposeBuilding on self-determination theory, this study empirically examined the influence of entrepreneurial leadership (EL) style on employee innovative behavior (EIB) in the context of software development firms located in the twin cities of Pakistan (Rawalpindi and Islamabad).Design/methodology/approachFor the present study, an employee survey (online questionnaire) was used for data collection. The data were collected through an adopted questionnaire by using emails and messaging applications. Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze data collected from 245 respondents.FindingsThe findings of this study delineate that entrepreneurial leadership positively and significantly influences employee innovative behavior. Moreover, the relationship between entrepreneurial leadership and employee innovative behavior was partially mediated by employee epistemic curiosity (EC) and creative process engagement (CPE). The sequential mediation by the employee epistemic curiosity and creative process engagement between the link of entrepreneurial leadership and employee innovative behavior was also confirmed.Practical implicationsIn innovation-intensive organizations like software development firms, entrepreneurial leadership style can foster employee innovative behavior that is critical for organizational innovation success. This study provides information to the strategic leaders on how leadership behaviors can drive employee innovative behavior, particularly in the context of software development companies.Originality/valueThis study is an attempt to extend the scarce literature on the mechanisms through which leadership styles impact employee innovative behavior. Specifically, the mediating roles of employee epistemic curiosity and creative process engagement have been explored through a self-determination perspective.

The team leader coaching programme (TLCP) – a programme to implement team coaching in rehabilitation clinics – a feasibility study

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Janna Katharina Küllenberg ◽  
Sonja Becker ◽  
Mirjam Körner
Keyword(s):  
Training Group ◽  
Team Leader ◽  
Role Clarity ◽  
Team Leaders ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Train The Trainer ◽  
Team Coaching ◽  
Work Routine ◽  
Clinic Group

Purpose Team coaching is a promising way to advance a shift from the classical leader to a coach who leads his/her interprofessional colleagues. It is acknowledged as an effective instrument to reinforce leaders’ roles but is rarely used in the health-care sector. This paper aims to present the team leader coaching programme (TLCP), designed to strengthen team leaders by implementing coaching tools into their work routine. Design/methodology/approach The TLCP was designed based on the evaluated intervention on patient-centred team development, an expert workshop and a literature search. It addresses leadership styles, self-reflection, role clarity, attitude, moderation techniques and coaching tools with a focus on systemic questions. It was implemented as a train-the-trainer concept, in two training groups including 27 participants from 12 clinics (“multi-clinic” group) and another in-house training group (“single-clinic” group) including 15 participants from one clinic. Findings There were differences in the evaluation of the training between the group that received an inhouse training (“single-clinic” group) and the group that received a workshop in a group of professions from different clinics (“multi-clinic” group) with a tendency for a more positive evaluation by the “multi-clinic” group. Originality/value The TLCP is a promising programme to potentially improve teamwork in rehabilitation clinics, as it provides team leaders with coaching tools they can use in their work routine without being dependent on external coaches. It is characterized by a reflective stance, which seems to be highly necessary to optimally fulfil the role of a team leader.

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