Interdependence Requires Introverts and Extroverts

Event Date: 7 June 2017

Speaker: Dr David De Geest, Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Time: 4-5pm

Location: Room CW5.06a, Strathclyde Business School, Cathedral Wing, 199 Cathedral Street, Glasgow

Title: Interdependence Requires Introverts and Extroverts: The Moderating Effect of Extroversion Variance on Team Interdependence and Performance

Drawing on the literature on team interdependence and trait configuration theory, we introduce and test a moderated model of the effect of task and goal interdependence on team performance. Specifically, we argue that variance in extroversion – when teams have a mix of introverts and extroverts on their team – moderates the effects of task and goal interdependence on team performance. When extroversion variance is high, task and goal interdependence have positive relationships with team performance; when it is low, they have negative relationships. We test our model on a sample of a 150 research and development teams. Results show that our hypotheses largely hold. Further, the interaction between task interdependence and extroversion variance is partially mediated through strategic planning behaviors, and the interaction between goal interdependence and extroversion variance is partially mediated through collective social engagement. We discuss the implications of these findings for the theories about interdependence in teams.

Published: 31 May 2017