Premium
Understanding and Evaluating Cross‐Functional Sourcing Team Leadership
Author(s) -
Trent Robert J.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
international journal of purchasing and materials management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.75
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 1745-493X
pISSN - 1055-6001
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-493x.1996.tb00228.x
Subject(s) - business , team effectiveness , team composition , process (computing) , knowledge management , procurement , process management , face (sociological concept) , psychology , marketing , computer science , sociology , operating system , social science
As firms experience relentless pressure to innovate and improve, many are responding by creating organizational structures that promote cross‐functional and cross‐boundary communication, coordination, and collaboration. Because most firms studied expect to use teams to support future procurement and sourcing decision making, it is important to understand how to best manage the cross‐functional sourcing team process. Unfortunately, researchers who study teams rarely reach the same conclusions about the factors affecting team success. There is one variable, however, that most researchers agree consistently affects team success — the effectiveness of the formal team leader. The purpose of this article is to examine the critical role that team leaders play and the challenges they face in a cross‐functional sourcing team environment. The final section details three assessment scales used to help identify a sourcing team leader's behavioral style and ability to satisfy critical leadership requirements.