A cross-classified multilevel analysis of identity and performance in multiple team arrangements

Abstract

Multiple team memberships (MTM) are an increasingly prevalent in modern organizations, yet little research has focused on the implications of this work arrangement. Applying a motivation within teams framework integrated with social identity theory as a conceptual lens, and drawing from the literature on multiple identities, we advance a multi-level framework delineating the antecedents and consequences of multiple team identities. In turn, we model the influence of individual members’ team identification on their performance in, and satisfaction with, their multiple team memberships. We employed a cross-classified random effect analyses to model the combined influences of Level 2 factors corresponding to individuals (N=101) and team characteristics (N=82), on individuals member’s identification outcomes per team (N=325). Using multi-source, temporally lagged data from software development professionals belonging to multiple teams yielded support for the combined influences of individual and team-level factors on individuals’ outcomes, as mediated by their identification with each team membership. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.