Building Collaborative Cross-Functional New Product Teams
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-1999
Abstract
The emergence of cross-functional teams has outpaced our understanding of how and why they work the way they do. Although cross-functional teams have improved new product processes in many organizations, not all work equally well, nor are all equally collaborative. Our recent study of high technology-based industrial organizations shows that collaborative behaviors are difficult to learn, and seldom result from mere membership on teams. Some teams consisting of representatives from R&D, production, marketing, and other functional groups transform and adopt collaborative behaviors and accelerate new product development processes. Others are challenged by issues of interpersonal interaction and commiting to a common agenda. This article highlights the nature of learning that occurs and the developmental milestones that characterize the process by which groups of individuals transform into collaborative new product teams.
Publication Information
Jassawalla, Avan R. and Sashittal, Hemant C. (1999). "Building Collaborative Cross-Functional New Product Teams." The Academy of Management Executive 13.3, 50-63.
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