TOGETHER OR APART?: EFFECTS OF GEOGRAPHIC CONFIGURATIONS AND TEMPORAL DIVERSITY ON TEAM INNOVATION
Restricted (Penn State Only)
- Author:
- Nguyen, Tin
- Graduate Program:
- Psychology
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- March 18, 2023
- Committee Members:
- Stephen Humphrey, Outside Unit & Field Member
James LeBreton, Major Field Member
Samuel T. Hunter, Special Member
Alicia Grandey, Major Field Member
Susan Simkins, Chair & Dissertation Advisor
Kristin Buss (she/her), Program Head/Chair - Keywords:
- geographic dispersion
virtual teamwork
teams - Abstract:
- Research on virtual teamwork has followed two distinct approaches to conceptualizing geographic dispersion. Namely, some scholars have argued that geographic dispersion exists on a continuum, whereas others have acknowledged the value of examining the many possible geographic configurations (e.g., subgroups, geographic isolates) that accompany dispersion. These perspectives hold that the extent (i.e., along a continuum) and form (i.e., configuration) of geographic dispersion can harm team performance by increasing coordination complexity or inciting inter-subgroup categorization and tension, respectively. That is, one view argues that higher geographic dispersion is most detrimental to team effectiveness, while the other maintains that moderate levels of dispersion involving geographic subgroups is most harmful. Although it may appear that these perspectives are at odds with one another, I contend that both of these approaches hold merit and are symptomatic of a broader issue: work site decentralization. As teams increase in the extent of dispersion or equality of subgroup sizes, they suffer from different strains of decentralization (i.e., coordination complexity and inter-subgroup power struggles). A lack of central command creates ambiguity in team member roles and power structures, which impedes a team’s capacity for coordination and performance. Further, I argue that geographic subgroup-related issues can be overcome with slight imbalances in teams’ internal power or status hierarchies. I find support for the idea that higher dispersion and the presence of subgroups can both reduce team innovative performance. However, I find only weak evidence that status imbalance affects team innovative performance in teams with subgroups, such that teams perform poorly when the creative lead is outnumbered by high-ranking team members in the out-subgroup.