A Resource-Based View on Individual Absorption in the Context of Multiple Team Memberships

Julia Backmann (), Julia Wimmer (), Mark Mortensen (), Silja Hartmann (), Martin Hoegl () and Claudia Peus ()
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Julia Backmann: School of Business & Economics, University of Münster, 48149 Muenster, Germany
Julia Wimmer: Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 80539 Munich, Germany
Mark Mortensen: Europe Campus—Boulevard de Constance, INSEAD, 77305 Fontainebleau, France
Silja Hartmann: School of Economics and Management, Technische Universität Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany
Martin Hoegl: LMU Munich School of Management, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 80539 Munich, Germany
Claudia Peus: TUM School of Management, Technical University of Munich, 80333 Munich, Germany

Organization Science, 2024, vol. 35, issue 4, 1473-1488

Abstract: Knowledge work—frequently characterized as nonroutine and complex—requires individuals to be deeply engrossed with or “absorbed” in their work. Notwithstanding, organizations tend to put knowledge workers in multiple teams, undermining their ability to achieve the level of absorption required to realize their full potential. We examine how knowledge workers who are operating in multiple team contexts navigate competing demands on their time on a daily basis. Based on conservation of resources theory, we posit that the time devoted to the focal team—that is, the primary team in which knowledge workers are most actively involved—fosters absorption. However, this positive relationship is moderated by the number of different team contexts and problem-solving demands that knowledge workers experience daily, as together, these contextual conditions block optimal resource utilization. To test our hypotheses, we apply hierarchical linear modelling to experience-sampling data from 140 knowledge workers surveyed over 10 consecutive working days. Our findings support the hypothesized model, suggesting that daily involvement in multiple team contexts hinders full absorption, especially if daily problem-solving demands are high. Our insights emphasize the importance of the role and potential cost of multiple team membership (MTM) for understanding knowledge workers’ optimal functioning.

Keywords: absorption; COR theory; multiple team membership; job demands; knowledge work (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:inm:ororsc:v:35:y:2024:i:4:p:1473-1488

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