The Complementarity of Team Meetings and Cross-Functional Communication

Empirical Evidence From New Services Development Teams

1. Sabine Boerner1
2. Mélanie Schäffner2
3. Diether Gebert3

1. ¹University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
2. ²Deutsche Bahn (German Railways), Berlin, Germany
3. ³Renmin University of China, School of Business, Beijing, China

1. Sabine Boerner, University of Konstanz, Department of Politics and Management, Universitätsstrasse, Konstanz 78457, Germany Email: sabine.boerner@uni-konstanz.de

Abstract

This article investigates the respective influence of two different forms of communication on performance in new services development teams, namely, formal team meetings and informal cross-functional communication. Based on the work by Gebert and colleagues, the authors suggest a complementary relationship between these two forms of communication. They posit that team meetings enhance knowledge integration but may challenge knowledge generation. Inversely, they posit that cross-functional communication fosters knowledge generation but hinders knowledge integration. The authors therefore expect that cross-functional communication and team meetings will interact to predict team performance. A study on 55 new services development teams in consulting and financial services confirmed the authors’ hypothesis.

The Complementarity of Team Meetings and Cross-Functional Communication