Abstract
IT projects frequently add and subtract team members to take advantage of diverse knowledge stocks in solving complex problems. In this paper, we examine how such “fluid” changes in team membership impact the performance of IT projects. In doing so, we offer a conceptual definition of team fluidity and propose a theoretical model of fluid membership’s impact on IT project performance. We argue the effects of fluidity depend on the project setting, such as project type and familiarity of members, and characteristics of the fluidity event, that is centrality of members involved and timing. We propose that fluidity likely affects IT work through its impact on team cognition. Going beyond the common assump-tion that teams are stable entities with clearly defined membership, our propositions bring research on IT project teams as well as on teams in general closer to reality. By shedding light on how fluid team membership relates to project performance, we additionally contribute to the body of knowledge on the design and management of IT project teams to achieve high performance.
Recommended Citation
Przybilla, Leonard; Wiesche, Manuel; and Thatcher, Jason B., "Conceptualizing Fluid Team Membership and Its Effects in IT Projects: A Preliminary Model" (2020). ECIS 2020 Research-in-Progress Papers. 1.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2020_rip/1
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