Inter-team coordination in multiteam systems: Mechanisms, transitions, and precipitants

Coordination among the teams of a multiteam system is necessary in order to initiate and maintain inter-team interdependence. In turn, coordinated interdependence is required if the teams in a multiteam system are to work together toward a common outcome and succeed as an organized entity. A literature review indicates that multiteam research has indicated that three basic coordination mechanisms—mutual adjustment, direct supervision, and standardization—are used to coordinate interdependence among teams. The review also reveals that multiteam systems research has seldom examined transitions among inter-team coordination mechanisms and has rarely investigated precipitants that trigger mechanism transitions. In light of this finding, this article describes theorized transitions and identifies precipitant factors likely to stimulate these transitions. It concludes that transitions and precipitants merit significant attention in future multiteam systems research in order to render a more complete understanding of inter-team coordination.