Toward a Configural Theory of Team Composition: An Exploration of Dynamic Crew Configurations on Team Processes

Teams have become a common building block of organizations, and their potential effectiveness is largely contingent on the individuals that comprise them. Traditional approaches to team composition have sought to maximize the overall levels of taskwork or teamwork skills. However, current approaches to team composition fail to recognize the complex interrelations, and interdependencies among team-members. Furthermore, team membership is often fluid, and different combinations of individuals can make for more or less effective teams, yet current research fails to address the dynamic nature of crew arrangements. In my dissertation I advance a Configural Theory of Team Composition (CToTC) in order to account for the inter-relational nature of team composition by integrating social network analysis research and team composition research. With the CToTC, I explore individual competencies and interrelationships as well as taskwork interdependencies as they relate to the development of emergent networks and team processes. I test my hypothesis in a sample of surgical crews using a combination of survey and observational methods. I employ social network to index multiplex ties within crews and explore how certain arrangements can maximize the quality of crew composition. I utilize a non-method bound temporally-lagged design with multi source data to explore these relationships and seek to advance crew composition by accounting for its dynamic nature. My analyses revealed that different forms of complementarity (complementarity, supplementarity, and similarity) among node characteristics were responsible for the development of trust and workstyle compatibility. Complementarity in positive affect was shown to lead to greater affect-based trust and workstyle compatibility. Additionally, complementarity in emotional intelligence explained individuals’ development of affect-based trust and engagement in higher quality action processes, particularly among highly interdependent roles. Supplementarity among negative affect led to greater cognition-based trust and workstyle compatibility, especially among interdependent roles. Similarity driven fit among negative affect also led to higher affect-based trust among highly interdependent roles. My results highlight the value of adopting a configural approach in order to get a more nuanced understanding of the patterns of competencies and interrelationships that lead to beneficial emergent relationships and team processes