Chapter 6: An Exploration Of The Relationship Between Communication Network Structures Team-Member Exchange Quality And Teamwork

In recent years, teams have become a popular and effective way of managing and performing work tasks. The idea behind teams is that if they are structured to maximize communication density, connectivity, and minimize hierarchy, there will be greater flexibility in communicating, cooperating, and collaborating on work-related tasks, (Ibarra, 1992; Krackhardt & Hanson, 1993). However, a downside to teamwork is that it often takes longer than individual work, requires greater coordination of schedules, and sometimes more talented members feel burdened by low performers/contributors (Baldwin, Bedell, & Johnson, 1997). They found that among M.B.A. student teams, levels of communication were “directly and strongly associated with perceptions of team effectiveness and workload sharing.” The same study found that workload sharing and team grades were negatively associated, and that students with higher cognitive ability reported lower satisfaction. This suggests that one or a few members of the team might be carrying the workload (Baldwin et al., 1997).