Initiated and received task interdependence and distributed team performance: the mediating roles of different forms of role clarity

Sut I Wong,Suzanne Van Gils

doi:10.1007/s00146-021-01241-w

Abstract

Distributed agile teams are increasingly employed in organizations, partly due to the increased focus on digital transformation. However, research findings about the performance of such teams appear to be inconsistent, calling for more research to investigate the conditions under which distributed agile teams may thrive. Given that task coordination is particularly challenging when team members are not co-located, the present study investigates the roles of the two types of task interdependence, i.e., initiated versus received task interdependence. Survey results from 191 participants working in distributed agile teams within three companies in Norway confirm our hypotheses. Specifically, we show that high initiated task interdependence is associated with higher role clarity of others, while received task interdependence is associated with higher role clarity of self, and that both subsequently result in higher team performance in distributed agile teams. Thus, we argue that each type of task interdependence contributes in a unique way to team performance in distributed agile teams.

Highlights

Rapid technological innovations, new forms of work arrangements, and organizational disruptions have prompted the need to re-examine underlying assumptions of job and team design that may no longer hold true (Langfred and Rockmann 2016; Oldham and Hackman 2010)
We argue that high initiated task interdependence is likely to be associated with higher role clarity of others, while received task interdependence is likely to be associated with higher role clarity of self, and subsequently result in higher team performance in distributed agile teams
Building on previous research which has established the different outcomes associated with initiated and received task interdependence (e.g. Doerr et al 2004; Kiggundu 1983; Morgeson and Humphrey 2006), we further demonstrate that the different types of task interdependence are not necessarily opposite influences on team performance

Summary

Introduction

New forms of work arrangements, and organizational disruptions have prompted the need to re-examine underlying assumptions of job and team design that may no longer hold true (Langfred and Rockmann 2016; Oldham and Hackman 2010). It is increasingly common for organizations to organize in distributed agile teams, in which team members are geographically distributed and coordinate through computer-mediated communication tools to perform their work (Gilson, 2015). This allows individual team members to be flexible in solving their work tasks, yet at the same time, team members may be highly interdependent in coordinating and completing the team’s focal goals (Hertel et al 2005). While being highly self-managing, distributed agile team members are highly interdependent. Unlike co-located teams, the lack of opportunities for physical interaction challenges distributed teams’ abilities to adjust and coordinate virtually (Hertel et al 2005; Huang et al 2010)

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion