Steel Bar Metalworks is going to implement two new teams in their organization. One team will work on the routine tasks of the organization, such as ordering supplies, scheduling shifts, and inspecting facilities. The other team will be doing complex engineering work related to designing new equipment and products. Explain how task interdependence is likely to influence performance in each of these teams.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Student answers will vary but should demonstrate understanding of how task interdependence can influence performance. A sample answer follows.

The relationship between task interdependence and team performance is moderately positive. That is, task performance tends to be higher in teams in which members depend on one another and have to coordinate their activities rather than when members work more or less independently. It's important to mention that the relationship between task interdependence and team performance varies somewhat depending on how team performance is measured. Additionally, the relationship tends to be significantly stronger in teams that are responsible for completing complex knowledge work rather than simple tasks. When work is more complex, interdependence is necessary because there's a need for members to interact and share resources and information. When work is simple, sharing information and resources is less necessary because members can do the work by themselves. The engineering team will most likely see more sharing of information and stronger performance than the routine team because their work is more complex and requires more sharing of information.