Divided loyalties: Determinants of identification in interorganizational teams

Identification with a home organization may be particularly problematic for the development of interorganizational team identification. This study explores multiple conditions under which home organization identification may either positively or negatively affect the ability of members to identify with an interorganizational distributed team. The authors examine two types of team member arrangements: members of different home organizations segregated by location and members of different home organizations integrated within locations. They also examine interorganizational teams using either lean or rich communication media. Results suggest that for individuals who identify strongly with their home organizations, integrating members of different organizations within locations helps overcome barriers to interorganizational team identification. For individuals who do not identify strongly with their home organizations, using a rich communication medium enhances interorganizational team identification. Implications for future research, organizational alliance formation, and team managers are discussed.