Within-team variation of shared knowledge structures: A business performance study

Abstract

This pre-post exploratory study looks at the interplay between individual and team level knowledge structures, proposing a new method for conceptualizing and operationalizing within team knowledge variation. This research quantitatively analyzes variation between an individual's knowledge organization versus their team's shared knowledge structure. Team process success is measured by financial results as teams compete in a dynamic ERP simulation market. Higher team knowledge structure metrics are found to be insufficient indicators of success when high within-team variation exists. Contrasting individual-level versus team-level business process knowledge provides a rich explanation for team performance outcomes. Initial findings show that high with-in team variance results in lower performance in comparison to teams with low within-team variance of knowledge structures. This finding is supported even when high-variance teams contain a highly knowledgable individual. This study suggests that teams with high similiarity of shared team knowledge structures achieve better team financial performance. © 2014 IEEE.