ABSTRACT
The study of team effectiveness has undergone a rebirth in recent years, as there has been a widespread application of team-based designs in organizations. The prevalence of teams involved with complex tasks can be seen in both civilian and military applications (Prince & Salas, 1993). In particular, organizations that operate in complex and dangerous environments routinely employ teams to distribute workloads, exploit unit expertise, and coordinate activities between team members to successfully meet their assigned tasks and performance goals. We submit, however, that much of the previous research and thinking about teams has focused on teams working in largely isolated situations. We argue that teams do not generally carry out their tasks alone; rather they operate in organizations as parts of a larger system of teams (Marks, Mathieu & Zaccaro, this volume; Mathieu, Marks & Zaccaro, 2001). Ultimately, the effectiveness of the organization depends on the performance of multi-team systems, rather than solely on the basis of isolated teams and individuals. Today’s organizations are characterized by the existence of
multiple co-acting teams that function in dynamic and highly complex environments. Gaining a better understanding the key drivers and leverage points in such systems offers an avenue for enhancing the effectiveness of future organizations.
