How do top teams succeed? Factors that contribute to successful senior management team performance
How do top teams succeed? Factors that contribute to successful senior management team performance
For many years consultancy assignments on team-working have been growing in popularity as a means of building competitive advantage. However, this popularity has not been underpinned by rigorous, organisationally-based research (West and Slater, 1995), and the research which has been undertaken has not adequately addressed the issues (Lorsch, 1989, Higgs, 1999; Higgs et al., 2005). It is therefore important to support the rhetoric about teams with systematic research. The relationship between top team performance and organisational performance was given a clear focus and a sense of direction as long ago as the 1980s by Hambrick and Mason's 'Upper Echelon Theory' (Hambrick and Mason, 1984). This promoted a stream of demographically-based research, but the results have been limited and sometimes contradictory (Pettigrew, 1992; Higgs et al., 2005), in part as a result of the absence of direct data relating to the impact of teams on performance (Pettigrew, 1992; Lawrence, 1991). Moreover, both team and group research have failed to analyse the importance of the mix of personalities and team processes in achieving high performance (Higgs, 1998; 1999). This paper presents the results of a research programme involving 54 senior management teams using direct data. The research assesses the importance of the mix of personalities in a team, and the processes they employ in working together, in determining performance outcomes. It identifies the benefits of successful team processes, many of which relate also to Higgs and Dulewicz's parallel studies of board processes (Higgs and Dulewicz, 1997). Finally, the paper explores practical implications of the research findings, in particular in relation to developing senior management team performance.
77-99
Higgs, Malcolm
bd61667f-4b7c-4caf-9d79-aee907c03ae3
2006
Higgs, Malcolm
bd61667f-4b7c-4caf-9d79-aee907c03ae3
Higgs, Malcolm
(2006)
How do top teams succeed? Factors that contribute to successful senior management team performance.
Journal of General Management, (Winter 2006), .
Abstract
For many years consultancy assignments on team-working have been growing in popularity as a means of building competitive advantage. However, this popularity has not been underpinned by rigorous, organisationally-based research (West and Slater, 1995), and the research which has been undertaken has not adequately addressed the issues (Lorsch, 1989, Higgs, 1999; Higgs et al., 2005). It is therefore important to support the rhetoric about teams with systematic research. The relationship between top team performance and organisational performance was given a clear focus and a sense of direction as long ago as the 1980s by Hambrick and Mason's 'Upper Echelon Theory' (Hambrick and Mason, 1984). This promoted a stream of demographically-based research, but the results have been limited and sometimes contradictory (Pettigrew, 1992; Higgs et al., 2005), in part as a result of the absence of direct data relating to the impact of teams on performance (Pettigrew, 1992; Lawrence, 1991). Moreover, both team and group research have failed to analyse the importance of the mix of personalities and team processes in achieving high performance (Higgs, 1998; 1999). This paper presents the results of a research programme involving 54 senior management teams using direct data. The research assesses the importance of the mix of personalities in a team, and the processes they employ in working together, in determining performance outcomes. It identifies the benefits of successful team processes, many of which relate also to Higgs and Dulewicz's parallel studies of board processes (Higgs and Dulewicz, 1997). Finally, the paper explores practical implications of the research findings, in particular in relation to developing senior management team performance.
This record has no associated files available for download.
More information
Published date: 2006
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 51414
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/51414
ISSN: 0306-3070
PURE UUID: c8c67c9f-39c9-490f-b121-3faf91e991e9
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 11 Jun 2008
Last modified: 22 Oct 2022 01:40
Export record
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics
