IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/inm/ormsom/v19y2017i2p19-35.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Team Familiarity and Productivity in Cardiac Surgery Operations: The Effect of Dispersion, Bottlenecks, and Task Complexity

Author

Listed:
  • Emmanouil Avgerinos

    (IE Business School, 28006 Madrid, Spain)

  • Bilal Gokpinar

    (UCL School of Management, University College London, London E14 5AB, United Kingdom)

Abstract

Fluid teams are commonly used by a variety of organizations to perform similar and repetitive yet highly critical and knowledge-intensive tasks. Such teams operate for a limited time, after which they dissolve and some of their members may work together again as part of another team. Using a granular data set of 6,206 cardiac surgeries from a private hospital in Europe over seven years, our study offers a new and detailed account of how team familiarity (i.e., shared work experience) influences team productivity. We highlight the role of nuanced team composition dynamics beyond average team familiarity. We observe that teams with high dispersion of pairwise familiarity exhibit lower team productivity, and the existence of a “bottleneck-pair” may significantly hinder overall knowledge transfer capability, thus, productivity of fluid teams. In addition, we find that the higher the percentage of familiarity gained from complex tasks, the higher the productivity of the team. Finally, our results suggest that the positive effect of average team familiarity on productivity is enhanced when performing more complicated tasks. Our study provides new operational insights to improve productivity of fluid teams with better team composition strategies.

Suggested Citation

  • Emmanouil Avgerinos & Bilal Gokpinar, 2017. "Team Familiarity and Productivity in Cardiac Surgery Operations: The Effect of Dispersion, Bottlenecks, and Task Complexity," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 19(1), pages 19-35, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ormsom:v:19:y:2017:i:2:p:19-35
    DOI: 10.1287/msom.2016.0597
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2016.0597
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1287/msom.2016.0597?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gary P. Pisano & Richard M.J. Bohmer & Amy C. Edmondson, 2001. "Organizational Differences in Rates of Learning: Evidence from the Adoption of Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 47(6), pages 752-768, June.
    2. David P. Brandon & Andrea B. Hollingshead, 2004. "Transactive Memory Systems in Organizations: Matching Tasks, Expertise, and People," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 15(6), pages 633-644, December.
    3. Samer Faraj & Lee Sproull, 2000. "Coordinating Expertise in Software Development Teams," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 46(12), pages 1554-1568, December.
    4. Robert S. Huckman & Gary P. Pisano, 2006. "The Firm Specificity of Individual Performance: Evidence from Cardiac Surgery," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 52(4), pages 473-488, April.
    5. Mario Cleves & William W. Gould & Roberto G. Gutierrez & Yulia Marchenko, 2010. "An Introduction to Survival Analysis Using Stata," Stata Press books, StataCorp LP, edition 3, number saus3.
    6. J. Alberto Espinosa & Sandra A. Slaughter & Robert E. Kraut & James D. Herbsleb, 2007. "Familiarity, Complexity, and Team Performance in Geographically Distributed Software Development," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 18(4), pages 613-630, August.
    7. Rajiv D. Banker & Joy M. Field & Kingshuk K. Sinha, 2001. "Work-Team Implementation and Trajectories of Manufacturing Quality: A Longitudinal Field Study," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 3(1), pages 25-42, November.
    8. Gersick, Connie J. G. & Hackman, J. Richard, 1990. "Habitual routines in task-performing groups," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 65-97, October.
    9. Catherine Durnell Cramton, 2001. "The Mutual Knowledge Problem and Its Consequences for Dispersed Collaboration," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 12(3), pages 346-371, June.
    10. Robert S. Huckman & Bradley R. Staats & David M. Upton, 2009. "Team Familiarity, Role Experience, and Performance: Evidence from Indian Software Services," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 55(1), pages 85-100, January.
    11. Ray Reagans & Linda Argote & Daria Brooks, 2005. "Individual Experience and Experience Working Together: Predicting Learning Rates from Knowing Who Knows What and Knowing How to Work Together," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 51(6), pages 869-881, June.
    12. Robert S. Huckman & Bradley R. Staats, 2011. "Fluid Tasks and Fluid Teams: The Impact of Diversity in Experience and Team Familiarity on Team Performance," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 13(3), pages 310-328, July.
    13. John Boudreau & Wallace Hopp & John O. McClain & L. Joseph Thomas, 2003. "On the Interface Between Operations and Human Resources Management," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 5(3), pages 179-202, September.
    14. Chillemi, Ottorino & Gui, Benedetto, 1997. "Team Human Capital and Worker Mobility," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 15(4), pages 567-585, October.
    15. Gruenfeld, Deborah H & Mannix, Elizabeth A. & Williams, Katherine Y. & Neale, Margaret A., 1996. "Group Composition and Decision Making: How Member Familiarity and Information Distribution Affect Process and Performance," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 67(1), pages 1-15, July.
    16. Kane, Aimee A. & Argote, Linda & Levine, John M., 2005. "Knowledge transfer between groups via personnel rotation: Effects of social identity and knowledge quality," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 96(1), pages 56-71, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Jaeseok Lee & Seongkyoon Jeong & Hyun Ju Jung, 2023. "Interfirm knowledge sharing for energy efficiency," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 32(8), pages 2510-2528, August.
    2. Choi, Yunsik & Delise, Lisa A. & Lee, Brandon W. & Neely, Jerry, 2021. "Effective staffing of projects for reconciling conflict between cost efficiency and quality," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 234(C).
    3. Frangeskou, Marianna & Erthal, Alice & Ndibalema, Rweyemamu, 2024. "Managing the tensions of standardized work processes in healthcare operations: The job crafting lens," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    4. Narayan Ramasubbu & Jennifer Shang & Jerrold H. May & Youxu Tjader & Luis Vargas, 2019. "Task Interdependence and Firm Performance in Outsourced Service Operations," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 21(3), pages 658-673, July.
    5. Tilko Swalve, 2022. "Does Group Familiarity Improve Deliberations in Judicial Teams? Evidence from the German Federal Court of Justice," Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(1), pages 223-249, March.
    6. Yili Hong & Benjamin B.M. Shao, 2021. "On Factors that Moderate the Effect of Buyer‐Supplier Experience on E‐Procurement Platforms," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 30(4), pages 1034-1051, April.
    7. Imran Ali & Devika Kannan, 2022. "Mapping research on healthcare operations and supply chain management: a topic modelling-based literature review," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 315(1), pages 29-55, August.
    8. Elina H. Hwang & David Krackhardt, 2020. "Online Knowledge Communities: Breaking or Sustaining Knowledge Silos?," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 29(1), pages 138-155, January.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Choi, Yunsik & Delise, Lisa A. & Lee, Brandon W. & Neely, Jerry, 2021. "Effective staffing of projects for reconciling conflict between cost efficiency and quality," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 234(C).
    2. Robert S. Huckman & Bradley R. Staats, 2011. "Fluid Tasks and Fluid Teams: The Impact of Diversity in Experience and Team Familiarity on Team Performance," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 13(3), pages 310-328, July.
    3. Christoph Engel, 2022. "Lucky you: Your case is heard by a seasoned panel—Panel effects in the German Constitutional Court," Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(4), pages 1179-1221, December.
    4. Diwas Singh KC & Bradley R. Staats, 2012. "Accumulating a Portfolio of Experience: The Effect of Focal and Related Experience on Surgeon Performance," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 14(4), pages 618-633, October.
    5. Leila Agha & Keith Marzilli Ericson & Kimberley H. Geissler & James B. Rebitzer, 2022. "Team Relationships and Performance: Evidence from Healthcare Referral Networks," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(5), pages 3735-3754, May.
    6. Zeynep Akşin & Sarang Deo & Jónas Oddur Jónasson & Kamalini Ramdas, 2021. "Learning from Many: Partner Exposure and Team Familiarity in Fluid Teams," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 67(2), pages 854-874, February.
    7. Robert S. Huckman & Bradley R. Staats, 2008. "Variation in Experience and Team Familiarity: Addressing the Knowledge Acquisition-Application Problem," Harvard Business School Working Papers 09-035, Harvard Business School.
    8. Linda Argote & Sunkee Lee & Jisoo Park, 2021. "Organizational Learning Processes and Outcomes: Major Findings and Future Research Directions," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 67(9), pages 5399-5429, September.
    9. Melissa A. Valentine & Tom Fangyun Tan & Bradley R. Staats & Amy C. Edmondson, 2019. "Fluid Teams and Knowledge Retrieval: Scaling Service Operations," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 21(2), pages 346-360, May.
    10. Megan Lawrence, 2018. "Taking Stock of the Ability to Change: The Effect of Prior Experience," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 29(3), pages 489-506, June.
    11. Edward G. Anderson & Kyle Lewis, 2014. "A Dynamic Model of Individual and Collective Learning Amid Disruption," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 25(2), pages 356-376, April.
    12. Keumseok Kang & Jungpil Hahn & Prabuddha De, 2017. "Learning Effects of Domain, Technology, and Customer Knowledge in Information Systems Development: An Empirical Study," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 28(4), pages 797-811, December.
    13. Parker, Owen N. & Mui, Rachel & Bhawe, Nachiket & Semadeni, Matthew, 2022. "Insight or ignorance: How collaborative history in a workgroup fits with project type to shape performance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 154-167.
    14. Iván Alfaro & Ranganathan Chandrasekaran, 2015. "Software Quality and Development Speed in Global Software Development Teams," Business & Information Systems Engineering: The International Journal of WIRTSCHAFTSINFORMATIK, Springer;Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI), vol. 57(2), pages 91-102, April.
    15. Pamela J. Hinds & Catherine Durnell Cramton, 2014. "Situated Coworker Familiarity: How Site Visits Transform Relationships Among Distributed Workers," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 25(3), pages 794-814, June.
    16. Lewis, Kyle & Belliveau, Maura & Herndon, Benjamin & Keller, Joshua, 2007. "Group cognition, membership change, and performance: Investigating the benefits and detriments of collective knowledge," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 103(2), pages 159-178, July.
    17. Jonathan R. Clark & Robert S. Huckman & Bradley R. Staats, 2013. "Learning from Customers: Individual and Organizational Effects in Outsourced Radiological Services," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 24(5), pages 1539-1557, October.
    18. Nishtha Langer & Sandra A. Slaughter & Tridas Mukhopadhyay, 2014. "Project Managers' Practical Intelligence and Project Performance in Software Offshore Outsourcing: A Field Study," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 25(2), pages 364-384, June.
    19. J. Alberto Espinosa & Sandra A. Slaughter & Robert E. Kraut & James D. Herbsleb, 2007. "Familiarity, Complexity, and Team Performance in Geographically Distributed Software Development," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 18(4), pages 613-630, August.
    20. Bradley R. Staats & Francesca Gino, 2012. "Specialization and Variety in Repetitive Tasks: Evidence from a Japanese Bank," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 58(6), pages 1141-1159, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:inm:ormsom:v:19:y:2017:i:2:p:19-35. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Asher (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/inforea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.