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How Pair Programming Influences Team Performance: The Role of Backup Behavior, Shared Mental Models, and Task Novelty

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  • Thomas Kude

    (ESSEC Business School, 95021 Cergy-Pontoise, France)

  • Sunil Mithas

    (Muma College of Business, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620)

  • Christoph T. Schmidt

    (Boston Consulting Group, 80539 Munich, Germany)

  • Armin Heinzl

    (Business School, University of Mannheim, 68131 Mannheim, Germany)

Abstract

This study examines the team-level effects of pair programming by developing a research model that accounts for mediators and moderators of the relationship between pair programming and team performance. We hypothesize that pair programming helps software development teams establish backup behavior by strengthening the shared mental models among developers. In turn, backup behavior attenuates the negative effect of task novelty on team performance. We collect data from the software developers, Scrum masters, and product owners of 62 software development teams in a global enterprise software firm and find broad support for our research model. The study makes important contributions by shifting attention to the team-level effects of pair programming and by explicating mediating and moderating mechanisms related to the roles of shared mental models, backup behavior, and task novelty. The results underline the importance of viewing pair programming as a context-specific practice that helps establish backup behavior in teams. In terms of implications for practitioners, our results show that pair programming can be a valuable element of team governance to create shared mental models and backup behavior and to achieve high team performance when teams face high levels of task novelty.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas Kude & Sunil Mithas & Christoph T. Schmidt & Armin Heinzl, 2019. "How Pair Programming Influences Team Performance: The Role of Backup Behavior, Shared Mental Models, and Task Novelty," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 30(4), pages 1145-1163, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:orisre:v:30:y:2019:i:4:p:1145-1163
    DOI: 10.1287/isre.2019.0856
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    Cited by:

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    5. Salman Nazir & Brad Price & Nanda C. Surendra & Katherine Kopp, 2022. "Adapting agile development practices for hyper-agile environments: lessons learned from a COVID-19 emergency response research project," Information Technology and Management, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 193-211, September.

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