pooled interdependence
Hello. Welcome to solsarin. This post is about “pooled interdependence“.
Interdependence theory
Interdependence theory is a social exchange theory that states that interpersonal relationships are defined through interpersonal interdependence, which is “the process by which interacting people influence one another’s experiences”[1](Van Lange & Balliet, 2014, p. 65). The most basic principle of the theory is encapsulated in the equation I = ƒ[A, B, S].
which says that all interpersonal interactions (I) are a function (ƒ) of the given situation (S), plus the actions and characteristics of the individuals (A & B) in the interaction.[2][3] The theory’s four basic assumptions are 1) The Principle of Structure, 2) The Principle of Transformation, 3) The Principle of Interaction, and 4) The Principle of Adaption.[4][3]
The use of work teams has become a popular strategy for increasing productivity and worker flexibility in the United States. Seventy-eight percent of American organizations report that at least some of their employees are organized into work teams. In those organizations that utilize teams, an average of 61% of all employees are members of teams (Training Magazine, 1995).
1996
All 25 finalists for the 1996 America’s Best Plants sponsored by Industry Week have
implemented work teams, and the majority of these companies’ production work force are engaging in self-directed or self-managed teams (Sheridan, 1997). Organizations have reported a number of benefits derived from the use of work teams. These include increased individual performance, better quality, less absenteeism, reduced employee turnover, leaner plant structures, and substantial improvements in production cycle time (Harris, 1992).
In general, teams are considered an important ingredient of organizational success in the modern economy which is characterized by needs for rapid information exchange and response to customer demands (Cohen & Bailey, 1997).
a task condition in which the task is split among a number of individuals, units, or groups, each of which performs independently with no flow of work between them and little if any contact or coordination required. The output of each individual, unit, or group is eventually pooled and contributes to the overall goals of the organization as a whole.
Independently
For example, each member of a particular organization’s sales department works independently throughout the day to sell a particular product, and at the end of the day, the number of sales across all members is combined to yield a sales figure for the organization. Pooled interdependence means that the results achieved by each individual or group will depend very little on the accomplishments of the other individuals or groups.
Three Types of Interdependence in an Organizational Structure
In the 1967 book “Organizations in Action,” sociologist James D. Thompson defined three types of interdependence to describe the intensity of interactions and behaviors within an organizational structure. The study of interdependence helps business owners understand how the different departments or units within their organization depend on the performance of others.
Pooled Interdependece
Pooled interdependence is perhaps the loosest form of the three. In this type of interdependence, each organizational department or business unit performs completely separate functions. While departments may not directly interact and do not directly depend on each other in the pooled interdependence model, each does contribute individual pieces to the same overall puzzle.
Harvard Business Review describes it like a gymnastics team, where the individual performance or each team or department contributes to the overall score. This creates an almost blind, indirect dependence on the performance of others wherein one department’s failures could lead to the failure of the overall process.
Sequential Interdependence
Sequential interdependence occurs when one unit in the overall process produces an output necessary for the performance by the next unit. Perhaps the most obvious example of sequential interdependence is an assembly line. Here, if one part of the production line experiences a slowdown, then there will be bottlenecks further down the line. Scheduling and planning your organization’s resources in a sequential interdependence model is essential to efficient operations.
Reciprocal Interdependence
Reciprocal interdependence is similar to sequential interdependence in that the output of one department becomes the input of another, with the addition of being cyclical. In this model, an organization’s departments are at their highest intensity of interaction. Reciprocal models are the most complex and difficult to manage, since one unit can change the rules and affect everyone else at any time.
Workflow specialists Samewave use the example of a software company, whose engineering and development teams work together to create a great product. The marketing team originates strategies that enable the sales team to make sales, and the customer services team keep customers supported and happy, so they stay loyal to the business. As these teams work together, revenues grow and the software company can hire new talent, and attract investment, to scale the business. Yet if just one part of this cycle underperformed, the model would collapse.
Coordinating Interdependence in Business
Thompson theorized that the correct way to get departments within an organization working together effectively is to structure respective work tasks by intensity of interdependence, and then manage each of those interdependencies with different coordination methods.
For example, a pooled interdependency requires standardization in rules and operating procedures, while the coordination methods for the other two interdependencies are slightly more flexible. A sequential interdependency is managed through mildly adaptive planning and scheduling, while reciprocally interdependent departments are managed through constant information sharing and mutual adjustments.
Is Your Team Coordinating Too Much, or Not Enough?
Effective teams don’t just happen — you design them. And two of the most important elements of that design are a.) the degree to which team members are interdependent — where they need to rely on each other to accomplish the team task, and b.). How you’ll actually coordinate that interdependence.
This issue arose when I presented a leadership team with survey results showing that its team members had very different beliefs about how much they needed to actively coordinate their work to achieve the team’s goals. Several members believed they were like a gymnastics team: they could achieve team goals by simply combining each member’s independent work, much like a gymnastics team rolls up the scores of individuals’ events to achieve its team score.
Others — especially the leader — believed the team should function more like a hockey team. They could achieve their goals only through complex and often spontaneous coordination. I pointed out that until the team reached agreement on this fundamental disconnect. They would continue to have a difficult time achieving their goals.
You can tell when a team doesn’t have a good fit between interdependence and coordination. If there is insufficient coordination, team members have difficulty getting information from each other, completing tasks, and making decisions. If there is more coordination than required, team members will spend unnecessary time and effort on tasks. Which slows the team down.
Coordination
You can also tell when there isn’t agreement about how much interdependence or coordination is needed. If you design your team assuming that members need to be highly interdependent. And need a high degree of coordination, members. Who believe they aren’t interdependent will complain that others are asking them to attend meetings. Do work, and be part of decisions that aren’t a good use of their time.
On the other hand, if you design your team with minimal coordination, assuming that members don’t need to be interdependent. Then those who believe that they do need to be interdependent will be frustrated by colleagues who seem uncooperative. They’ll complain that they can’t get the help they need from others. And that the team doesn’t have adequate communication and problem solving processes in place. In short, poorly designed interdependence and coordination. Or a lack of agreement about them — can diminish the team’s results, working relationships. And the well-being of individual team members.
Because the type of coordination required depends on the type of interdependence, you need to design the interdependence first. The organizational theorist James Thompson identified three types of task interdependence that can be used to design your team. Pooled, sequential, and reciprocal.
Which Type of Interdependence is Best for Your Team?
Have you noticed how this pandemic has created a greater need for independence and interdependence? It seems to me that this is one of the great paradoxes of our time. In order to overcome this crisis, we need to actively work independently, and with each other. This takes great planning, communication, and coordination. It requires the right type of interdependence.
As I mentioned in my last post, here, organizational theorist James D. Thompson identified three types of interdependence: pooled, sequential, and reciprocal. Most teams shift between the three, which when not fully recognized can cause frustration, inefficiency, and lack of productivity. Great team members understand the differences, the expectations, and what needed for greatest satisfaction.
Levels
- Level 1 interdependence pools standardized independent actions into a team effort. Each person creates a standard widget. This referred to as pooled interdependence.
- Level 2 interdependence requires a known sequence of standardized and modified actions into a team effort. Each person completes a portion of the process to produce a widget; an assembly line. This referred to as sequential interdependence.
- Level 3 interdependence based on known and unknown sequences of known. And unknown standardized and modified actions into a team effort. This referred to as reciprocal interdependence.
Thank you for staying with this post “pooled interdependence” until the end.
