Task Interdependence by Design or by Perception? Lessons from Innovation Management Teams

Abstract

We examine how teams shape task interdependence over time through an inductive, longitudinal study of four high-technology firms. We investigated their organizational designs for managing innovation which enabled us to look at the development of task interdependence between multiple innovation teams. Our central contribution is a framework of how teams contribute to the development of task interdependence. We argue that initial task design decisions are interpreted differently by affected teams. Their differentiated perceptions lead to distinct patterns of interaction, which subsequently change the initial task interdependence configuration. Overall, we present the conjunction of task and perceived interdependence as a dynamic, cyclical, multi-level process, and as an inter-team level phenomenon. At a more fundamental level, we identify team social identity as an important driver of inter-team perceptions of interdependence.