Crossing functions above the cross-functional project team: The value of lateral coordination among functional department heads

Authors:
Erica L. Anthony;Stephen G. Green;Sara A. Mccomb
Affiliations:
Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD 21251, United States;Krannert School of Management, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States;School of Nursing and School of Industrial Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States
Venue:
Journal of Engineering and Technology Management
Year:
2014

Citing 6
Cited 0

A model of new product development: an empirical test

Management Science
Context and antecedents of information utility at the R&D/marketing interface

Management Science
A Guide To The Project Management Body Of Knowledge (PMBOK Guides)

A Guide To The Project Management Body Of Knowledge (PMBOK Guides)
Modeling market information processing in new product development: An empirical analysis

Journal of Engineering and Technology Management
Team flexibility's relationship to staffing and performance in complex projects: An empirical analysis

Journal of Engineering and Technology Management
Relationships among team's organizational context, innovation speed, and technological uncertainty: An empirical analysis

Journal of Engineering and Technology Management

Quantified Score

Hi-index	0.00

Visualization

Abstract

Lateral coordination among department heads is an overlooked aspect of project management research. Our research addresses this issue by examining the effects of the amount and quality of coordination among department heads on 60 cross-functional project teams. The results of this study reveal some interesting findings. First, better quality of coordination among department heads is associated with lower boundary conflict between the cross-functional project team and department heads and also improved project efficiency. Our results also suggest that early definition of project goals is positively associated with better quality of coordination among department heads. Implications and future research are discussed.