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Knowledge Integration and Team Effectiveness: A Team Goal Orientation Approach
Author(s) -
Mehta Anju,
Mehta Nikhil
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
decision sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.238
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 1540-5915
pISSN - 0011-7315
DOI - 10.1111/deci.12280
Subject(s) - knowledge integration , knowledge management , team effectiveness , goal orientation , orientation (vector space) , team composition , computer science , psychology , knowledge engineering , social psychology , geometry , mathematics
Knowledge integration is critical to achieving both objective and subjective team effectiveness goals. Integrating knowledge resources, however, is a challenging activity for teams. Converging the theories of team goal orientation and knowledge integration, in this study we examine how team goal orientation impacts a team's internal knowledge integration, and how knowledge integration, in turn, affects multiple dimensions of team effectiveness. Data were collected from 90 self‐directed teams engaged in an extended business simulation, where each team acted as a top management team of a business firm. Results indicated that both learning and performance‐prove goal orientations positively influenced team knowledge integration, and knowledge integration impacted both objective and subjective dimensions of team effectiveness. We also found partial support for a mediating role of internal knowledge integration. The study recommends a goal orientation approach to integrating knowledge in teams and proposes that this approach has significant implications for both research and practice.