From an intrateam to an interteam perspective of effectiveness: The role of interdependence and boundary activities

The emergence of team-based organizations requires shifting the focus from intrateam to interteam activities in order to understand organizational functioning. This article develops a model of interteam boundary activity and proposes that boundary activity is contingent on interteam goal and task interdependence. In addition, the authors propose that team heterogeneity, interteam power relations, organizational culture, and external environment moderate the relationships between interteam interdependence configuration and boundary activity. The preferred boundary activity further determines whether higher team performance fully translates into higher organizational performance. The article concludes by considering the research and practice challenges implied by the proposed model.