Alves, M. P., & Lourenço, P. R.
Workgroup interdependence assessment: Group-referent scales and social network analysis
The article intends to draw attention to methodological issues identified in literature when assessing group interdependence relations at the workplace. The development of two different methodologies for assessing intragroup interdependence — a group-referent scale and a social network analysis instrument — is described. First, a workgroup interdependence scale was subjected to exploratory factor analysis and three interdependence dimensions (task, outcome, and functional interdependence) were identified. Subsequently, a number of social network analysis measures (density, centralization, reciprocity, fragmentation) were calculated and association between these variables and the different workgroup interdependence dimensions means were analyzed. Data were collected from 78 teams of different organizations. The results suggest that social network measures are moderately correlated to workgroup interdependence dimensions means and, depending on the form of interdependence considered, social network variables are differentially related to the data collected by the intragroup interdependence scale. Methodological and conceptual implications for team interdependence research are discussed.
Testing, Psychometrics, Methodology in Applied Psychology, 2017, Vol. 24, pp. 23-44, DOI: 10.4473/TPM24.1.2
