Journal of Management and Business Research, 2002
19（ 6 ）：979-1007
DOI：
Title
Team Structure and Effectiveness in Cross-functional Teams: A Structural Contingency Perspective
Author
Abstract
The theoretical literature on team building suggests that team structure has profound effects on team effectiveness. However, only a few empirical studies have tested this relationship between team structure and its effectiveness in business cross-functional teams. Most of these studies show that the better the fit between team structure and its technical factors, the higher is team effectiveness. But none of these studies mention the effects of social context factors on team design. In this paper we seek particularly to advance team building theory by investigating both the effects of technical and social context factors on team structure design. Using questionnaire survey and multiple regression analysis, an empirical study is conducted on a sample of 279 team members from large-scale companies and research institutions in Taiwan. The results show that the relationship between the degree of team formalization and team effectiveness is moderated by task type. In addition, social context factors, including interdepartmental trust and affective relationship between department heads, also have significant moderating effects on the relationship between team formalization and its effectiveness. These findings suggest that social factors like guanxi appear to have an important influence on team building in Chinese corporations.
Key Words
Cross-functional team, Team effectiveness, Cooperation, Team structure, Task type, Trust, Guanxi
