Theorising antecedents of cohesion and conflict in distributed ISD project teams

McCarthy, Stephen; O'Raghallaigh, Paidi; Fitzgerald, Ciara; Adam, Frédéric

Theorising antecedents of cohesion and conflict in distributed ISD project teams

Files

8707_ICIS2018_Antecedents_of_Distributed_ISD_Final_1151_2.pdf(559.37 KB)

Accepted version

Date

2018-12

Authors

McCarthy, Stephen

O'Raghallaigh, Paidi

Fitzgerald, Ciara

Adam, Frédéric

Publisher

Association for Information Systems (AIS)

Abstract

The effectiveness of distributed ISD teams is often inhibited by tensions between contextual (macro) and localised (micro) factors. In light of these challenges, literature suggests that cohesion is a key determinant of team performance; however, competing literature asserts that conflict is essential for exploiting diverse knowledge. This suggests a paradoxical need for both cohesion and conflict. However, extant ISD literature has yet to explore how the interplay of macro- and micro-level factors affect cohesion and conflict in distributed settings. To address this gap, we present and utilise a theoretical framework to analyse ethnographic data from a distributed ISD project called ‘Athena’. The findings point to a ‘double edged sword’ of cohesion and suggest that moderate levels of task-based conflict are essential for addressing diversity in distributed teams. Additionally, excessive levels of cohesion can contribute to social conflict between subgroups when task conflict is constrained.

Keywords

Information systems development , Team cohesion , Team conflict , Subgroups

Citation

McCarthy, S., O'Raghallaigh, P., Fitzgerald, C. and Adam, F. (2018) 'Theorising Antecedents of Cohesion and Conflict in Distributed ISD Project Teams', Proceedings of the 39th International Conference on Information Systems, San Francisco 13-16 December.