Extending Organizational Contingency Theory to Team Performance - An Information Processing and Knowledge Flows Perspective

摘要

Research on contemporary work teams is vibrant and diverse, particularly as organizational theorists study the relationship of organizational performance and various work team attributes (e.g. self- management, empowerment, heterogeneity, shared situational awareness, others). Emerging from this literature is an emphasis on lateral, peer-to-peer work relationships over vertical, subordinate-to-supervisor work relationships as a rational organizational response to increasing task complexity in post- industrial economies. Although at the work group, rather than organizational or field level, such approaches clearly evoke contingent-theoretic arguments involving the influence of work structure and various contingency factors on performance. In essence, teams undertaking complex tasks are positioned to outperform when lateral, peer-to-peer relationships are emphasized over vertical, subordinate-to-supervisor relationships, particularly when teams face particular contingent circumstances, such as task complexity and interdependence.