Note from the publisher
Coming up in Vol. 9 Nos. 5/6
The following papers will be published in the next issue of Team Performance Management:
Cognitive and affective dimensions of trust in developing team performance
This paper reports on a study investigating the importance of a climate of trust in promoting teamwork and discusses the findings of an empirical study of 50 work-based teams. According to the findings, teams which show high levels of trust (both cognitive and affective dimensions of trust) perform better. As a result of these findings, it is strongly recommended that trust should be a primary value of the organisational culture, that behaviour which promotes trust and protection should be encouraged in teamwork, and that trustworthy behaviour should be treated as a measurement of performance for the purposes of employee appraisal.
A reverse side of the team medal
Publications in the managerial press tend to stress the positive sides of teamworking. Teamworking is heralded at the neglect of possible downsides such as the propensity to withhold effort. This is, however, studied in at least two strands of academic work: social psychology and economic organization theories. From these literatures we draw attention to the potential downsides of teamworking. However, various options for overcoming these problems have been identified in the same literatures. Thus, we explicitly concentrate the body of our paper on possible solutions for managers to remedy the potential negative effects of teamworking.
The effect of team composition and group role definition on ERP acquisition decisions
In this paper, the authors discuss acquisition team formation, the interdisciplinary nature of the teams and the roles of the steering committee,MIS, purchasing and users for an ERP solution. The authors' objective is to raise awareness of the composition of the acquisition teams as a critical factor affecting the acquisition process.
Linking team competences to organizational capacity
Palliative care is a complex environment in which teams of health care professionals are constantly challenged to match the configuration of care delivery to suit the dynamics of the whole of a patient's bio-medical, social and spiritual situations as they change during the end of life process. In such an environment these teams need to engage in ongoing interaction between different professional disciplines, incremental improvement in care delivery,learning and radical innovation. This is aimed at combining operational effectiveness and strategic flexibility, exploitation and exploration in a way that ensures the best possible end of life experience for the patient. This paper examines previous research on the management competences and the organizational capabilities necessary for continuous innovation and analyses evidence emerging from a study of palliative care. Work on the relationships between innovation capacities, organizational capabilities and team-based competence is drawn together. Evidence is presented from research into the management of innovation in palliative care.
Organisational citizenship: a case study of Medlink Ltd
What are the main obstacles, or independent variables, that hinder effective project management? To address this question, a case study analysis was conducted on a Canadian company specializing in product development for the medical field. The study investigated the impact of selected independent variables on productivity, job satisfaction and organizational citizenship. These variables were namely leadership and motivation; communication; conflict and organizational structure. The study tested the hypothesis that decreases in productivity, job satisfaction and organizational citizenship among employees were due to ineffective project management. The study found that there appeared to be a direct relationship between the factors of communication, leadership,power and politics, organizational structure and the decrease in productivity in terms of meeting project timelines and efficient product development. There was also a general sense of frustration across the company, leading to a lower sense of job satisfaction. Recommendations from the study included the design of a matrix that clearly indicated that the best alternative to adopt at MedLink Ltd. was the Projects Management Office solution.
Key conference events
Academy of Management1-6 August 2003, Seattle, Washington, USAsee www.aomonline.org.
Visit the Emerald stand in Booth #510 at the Washington Trade and Convention Center3-5 August, 2003,Seattle.
British Academy of Management Conference15-17 September 2003, Harrogate, UKsee www.lmu.ac.uk/lbs/BAM2003/index.htm.
7th International Workshop on Teamworking2-3 October 2003, Prato, Italysee www.monash.edu.au/oce/IWOT7/webpage/
