Networking for team and/or self. (2016)

“Teams and their leaders may have conflicting networking goals. That needn’t be a problem, but often is.”

Frédéric C. Godart, Insead
Knowledge, 6 March 2017

Based on a paper prepared with Fabrice Cavarretta and Matthias Thiemann: Task complexity and shared value orientation: exploring the moderators of a social dilemma in team social networks

“… the role of team leaders (includes) organising the work of their team members and forming networks among them, such as who works with whom, where and when. To get their work done, one team might need a leader to coordinate otherwise unconnected team members (for example, with separate, specialised sub-teams such as task forces), while another team might need to be more cohesive, tightly knit group collaboration.

“… In addition to managing the team, a leader also has other aims, such as furthering his or her own career. He or she may use and abuse ‘the power of networks’ to manipulate team members and advance up the corporate ladder at their expense (for example, by ‘dividing and conquering’ and playing sub-teams against each other, or not diffusing information and using it for his or her own advantage).

“This means leaders might make certain trade-offs for their own or their team’s benefit, which can affect their team’s performance. Teams and their leaders may thus be at odds, creating a social dilemma.

“… (Our) theoretical research paper ‘Task complexity and shared value orientation’ … shows that the extent of the dilemma … depends on the complexity of the team’s work, ie. how dependent they are on one another, and whether the team is individualistic or collectivistic in its nature.

“…Organisations can act to ensure that leaders and their teams are both successful through …hiring and promoting managers who are aware of these issues and who make the success of the team their own success, …(cultivating) a culture that fosters collaboration … and aligning the leader’s incentives to reflect the success of the team should be a priority.”

Access the full article here: Networking for team and/or self.

Access the base paper here: Task complexity and shared value orientation.