Communication and performance : an empirical study in innovation teams

Abstract

The present study Communication and Performance explores how communicational structures impact the performance of innovation teams. Communication is particular important in teams in which members with different specializations and professional backgrounds have to execute the work together as it is common in innovation teams. This book argues that communicational structures influence the performance of innovation teams through three mediating factors, individual creativity, individual commitment and team discensus. It is shown that team discensus, or the conflict potential in teams, relates positively to team performance in the beginning of an innovation process, however negatively in the end of an innovation process. Individual creativity and individual commitment always foster the performance of innovation teams. Moreover, the study indicates that communicational structures indeed impact team performance via individual creativity, individual commitment and team discensus and that in order to improve the performance of teams a managerial focus on the team as a entity is more promising than focusing on single individuals in the team. Further, three managerial tools are introduced and explored that are useful for managing the structures of communication. These managerial tools are computer-mediated means of communication, physical proximity of the team members, and team composition. Altogether, this PhD thesis provides a tool and managerial knowledge for analyzing and navigating the structures of communication toward a better performance.

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