Relief for those who are not fans of networking: study says it's not for everyone it’s not for everyone

Is your LinkedIn profile up to date? Do you approach potential collaborators at conferences, meetings, or receptions? What about alumni gatherings? Did you remember to hand out your business card at that last event? And what about a follow-up email, just to check that person did not forget that they ran into you? Are you even active on twitter

The role of star performers in software design teams

Purpose – This study seeks to extend previous research on experts with mainly ad-hoc groups from laboratory research to a field setting. Specifically, this study aims to investigate experts’ relative importance in team performance. Expertise is differentiated into two categories (task functions and team functions) and the paper aims to investigate whether experts in task and team functions predict team performance over and above the team’s average expertise level. Design/methodology/approach – Longitudinal, multi-source data from 96 professional software design engineers were used by means of hierarchical regression analyses. Findings – The results show that both expert members in task functions (i.e. behavior that aids directly in the completion of work-related activities) and the experts in team functions (i.e. facilitation of interpersonal interaction necessary to work together as a team) positively predicted team performance 12 months later over and above the team’s average expertise level. Research limitations/implications – Samples from other industry types are needed to examine the generalizability of the study findings to other occupational groups. Practical implications – For staffing, the findings suggest that experts are particularly important for the prediction of team performance. Organizations should invest effort into finding “star performers” in task and team functions in order to create effective teams. Originality/value – This paper focuses on the relationship between experts (in task functions and team functions) and team performance. It extends prior research on team composition and complements expertise research: similar to cognitive ability and personality, it is important to take into account member expertise when examining how to manage the people mix within teams. Benefits of expertise are not restricted to laboratory research but are broadened to real-world team settings

Individuelle Expertise und Teamleistung: Ergebnisse aus drei empirischen Untersuchungen

Teamwork is one of the most important organizational changes over the past 20 years. Consequently, it becomes more and more important to know what makes teams effective. This dissertation compiles three studies that aimed at investigating the impact of the best team member on team performance beyond the average performance level of the team. The best team member is referred to as an expert. Study 1 tested how the score of the best team member, i.e., the expert, is related to team performance. It was proposed that planning behavior is a mediator. The individual and dyadic problem solving processes from 106 computer science students working on two complex software design tasks were observed. Results showed that the best team member had a positive impact on team performance and that local planning partially mediated the relationship. Study 2 examined in an experimental study with 200 students from non-technical majors how individual performance relates to team performance. In this study, two types of expertise (i.e., actual and perceived expertise) were distinguished. Results showed that actual expertise had a positive impact on team performance but perceived expertise had not. There was also no interaction effect of actual and perceived expertise with respect to team performance. Study 3 examined the impact of individual expertise on team performance in a longitudinal field study. More specifically, it was investigated how the performance of the best team member in different team functions (i.e., task functions and team functions) was related to team performance. Participants were 96 software professionals from 20 teams. As predicted, the best team member in task functions predicted team performance over time and the best team member in team functions accounted for additional variance. This research provides consistent evidence from the laboratory and field research for the outstanding role of the best team member on team performance.Teamarbeit gehört zu den wichtigsten organisationalen Veränderungen. Daher wird es zunehmend bedeutsam zu bestimmen, was Teams effektiv macht. Diese Dissertation beinhaltet drei Studien, die den Zusammenhang zwischen dem Einfluss des besten Teammitglieds auf Teamleistung untersuchten. Das beste Teammitglied wird als Experte bezeichnet. Studie 1 untersuchte, wie der Wert des besten Teammitglieds, d.h. des Experten, mit der Teamleistung zusammenhängt. Es wurde vermutet, dass Planen den Zusammenhang mediiert. Die individuellen und dyadischen Problemlöseprozesse von 106 Informatikstudierenden bei der Bearbeitung von Software-Aufgaben wurden beobachtet. Ergebnisse zeigten, dass das beste Teammitglied einen positiven Effekt auf die Teamleistung hatte und dass lokales Planen den Zusammenhang partiell mediierte. Studie 2 testete in einem Experiment mit 200 Studierenden, wie individuelle Leistung mit Teamleistung zusammenhängt. In dieser Studie wurden zwei Arten von Expertise differenziert (d.h. tatsächliche und wahrgenommene Expertise). Ergebnisse zeigten, dass tatsächliche Expertise im Gegensatz zu wahrgenommener Expertise einen positiven Effekt auf die Teamleistung hatte. Es gab keine Interaktion zwischen tatsächlicher und wahrgenommener Expertise. Studie 3 untersuchte den Zusammenhang zwischen individueller Expertise und Teamleistung in einer Längsschnitt-Felduntersuchung. Es wurde untersucht, wie die Leistung des besten Teammitglieds in verschiedenen Funktionen (d.h. aufgaben- und teambezogenen Funktionen) mit Teamleistung zusammenhängt. Teilnehmer waren 96 Softwareentwickler aus 20 Teams. Wie angenommen, sagte die Leistung des besten Teammitglieds in aufgabenbezogenen Funktionen die Teamleistung vorher. Außerdem konnten die besten Teammitglieder in teambezogenen Funktionen zusätzlich Varianz aufklären. Die Ergebnisse dieser Dissertation zeigen konsistente Befunde aus Labor- und Feldforschung für die herausragende Rolle des besten Teammitglieds in Teams

Facilitating Employee Recovery From Work: The Role of Leader‑Member‑Exchange

Building on Affective Events Theory (AET), this study examined within-person relationships between employee perceptions of day-level leader-member exchange (LMX) and day-level positive affect as well as between positive affect and recovery from work in the evening (i.e., relaxation, mastery, control, and psychological detachment from work). In addition, LMX variability was examined as a moderator of these within-person relationships. Employees (N = 160) completed surveys at the end of the workday and in the evening across five consecutive workdays. Results indicate direct relationships between perceptions of LMX and employee positive affect at work. In addition, positive affect was positively associated with two of the four recovery experiences (mastery and relaxation). Furthermore, LMX variability across the workweek moderated these positive indirect effects such that the indirect associations between the perceptions of LMX and employees’ recovery experiences during the evening via positive affect was only positive when LMX variability was low. The indirect effects, however, were nonsignificant when LMX variability was moderate or high. The present study expands LMX research by adopting a dynamic within-person perspective and by connecting the literature on workplace leadership with the literature on recovery from work, indicating that perceptions of LMX can potentially impact employees’ nonwork time

Do All Employees Benefit From Daily Networking?: The Moderating Effect of the Affiliation Motive

Networking is a viable career self-management strategy. Most studies so far in the networking domain have focused on long-term consequences and used a between-person trait approach. To address recent calls for more time-oriented approaches in career research, we extend the existing research by conducting a diary study over five consecutive working days (N = 59 employees). Specifically, we examined the within-person relationship between networking and career-related outcomes (i.e., task performance and career optimism). Further, adopting a motivational approach, we investigated whether need for affiliation moderates the daily networking career-related outcomes association. Our findings lend support to the moderating role of the need for affiliation in the relationship between daily networking and both daily task performance and daily career optimism. Our study connects motivation research with networking research by means of a dynamic approach that helps to understand the short-term effects of networking

Occupational commitment from a life span perspective: An integrative review and a research outlook

Purpose – The purpose of this review was to integrate and organize past research findings on affective, normative, and continuance occupational commitment (OC) within an integrative framework based on central life span concepts. Design/methodology/approach – We identified and systematically analyzed 125 empirical articles (including 138 cases) that examined OC with a content valid measure to the here applied definition of OC. These articles provided information on the relationship between OC and four distinct life span concepts: chronological age, career stages, occupational and other life events, and occupational and other life roles. Furthermore, developmental characteristics of OC in terms of construct stability and malleability were reviewed. Findings – The reviewed literature allowed us to draw conclusions about the mentioned life span concepts as antecedents and outcomes of OC. For example, age and tenure is more strongly positively related to continuance OC than to affective and normative OC, nonlinear and moderating influences seem to be relevant in the case of the latter OC types. We describe several other findings within the results sections. Originality/value – OC represents a developmental construct that is influenced by employees’ workand life-related progress, associated roles, as well as opportunities and demands over their career. Analyzing OC from such a life span perspective provides a new angle on the research topic, explaining inconsistencies in past research and giving recommendation for future studies in terms of dynamic career developmental thinking

Catching leaders’ mood : Contagion effects in teams

Much of the behavior at work takes place within teams. Leaders of teams experience different feelings that, in turn, can have an impact on how team members feel and perform. This study examined the effects of leaders’ mood on individual team members’ mood, group affective tone, and team outcomes (actual team performance, potency, and goal commitment) in a laboratory study, with a sample of 63 students working in three-person teams. Furthermore, the study investigated the mediating role of group affective tone in the leaders’ mood–team outcomes relationship. Results demonstrated that leaders influence team members’ individual mood, group affective tone, actual team performance, and potency. Moreover, group affective tone mediated the relationship between team leaders’ mood and potency. Taken together, the findings suggest that in order to enhance subordinates’ work experience and to attain desired outcomes, leaders should be aware of their mood and its potential effects

Individuelle Expertise und Teamleistung: Ergebnisse aus drei empirischen Untersuchungen

Teamwork is one of the most important organizational changes over the past 20 years. Consequently, it becomes more and more important to know what makes teams effective. This dissertation compiles three studies that aimed at investigating the impact of the best team member on team performance beyond the average performance level of the team. The best team member is referred to as an expert. Study 1 tested how the score of the best team member, i.e., the expert, is related to team performance. It was proposed that planning behavior is a mediator. The individual and dyadic problem solving processes from 106 computer science students working on two complex software design tasks were observed. Results showed that the best team member had a positive impact on team performance and that local planning partially mediated the relationship. Study 2 examined in an experimental study with 200 students from non-technical majors how individual performance relates to team performance. In this study, two types of expertise (i.e., actual and perceived expertise) were distinguished. Results showed that actual expertise had a positive impact on team performance but perceived expertise had not. There was also no interaction effect of actual and perceived expertise with respect to team performance. Study 3 examined the impact of individual expertise on team performance in a longitudinal field study. More specifically, it was investigated how the performance of the best team member in different team functions (i.e., task functions and team functions) was related to team performance. Participants were 96 software professionals from 20 teams. As predicted, the best team member in task functions predicted team performance over time and the best team member in team functions accounted for additional variance. This research provides consistent evidence from the laboratory and field research for the outstanding role of the best team member on team performance.Teamarbeit gehört zu den wichtigsten organisationalen Veränderungen. Daher wird es zunehmend bedeutsam zu bestimmen, was Teams effektiv macht. Diese Dissertation beinhaltet drei Studien, die den Zusammenhang zwischen dem Einfluss des besten Teammitglieds auf Teamleistung untersuchten. Das beste Teammitglied wird als Experte bezeichnet. Studie 1 untersuchte, wie der Wert des besten Teammitglieds, d.h. des Experten, mit der Teamleistung zusammenhängt. Es wurde vermutet, dass Planen den Zusammenhang mediiert. Die individuellen und dyadischen Problemlöseprozesse von 106 Informatikstudierenden bei der Bearbeitung von Software-Aufgaben wurden beobachtet. Ergebnisse zeigten, dass das beste Teammitglied einen positiven Effekt auf die Teamleistung hatte und dass lokales Planen den Zusammenhang partiell mediierte. Studie 2 testete in einem Experiment mit 200 Studierenden, wie individuelle Leistung mit Teamleistung zusammenhängt. In dieser Studie wurden zwei Arten von Expertise differenziert (d.h. tatsächliche und wahrgenommene Expertise). Ergebnisse zeigten, dass tatsächliche Expertise im Gegensatz zu wahrgenommener Expertise einen positiven Effekt auf die Teamleistung hatte. Es gab keine Interaktion zwischen tatsächlicher und wahrgenommener Expertise. Studie 3 untersuchte den Zusammenhang zwischen individueller Expertise und Teamleistung in einer Längsschnitt-Felduntersuchung. Es wurde untersucht, wie die Leistung des besten Teammitglieds in verschiedenen Funktionen (d.h. aufgaben- und teambezogenen Funktionen) mit Teamleistung zusammenhängt. Teilnehmer waren 96 Softwareentwickler aus 20 Teams. Wie angenommen, sagte die Leistung des besten Teammitglieds in aufgabenbezogenen Funktionen die Teamleistung vorher. Außerdem konnten die besten Teammitglieder in teambezogenen Funktionen zusätzlich Varianz aufklären. Die Ergebnisse dieser Dissertation zeigen konsistente Befunde aus Labor- und Feldforschung für die herausragende Rolle des besten Teammitglieds in Teams