2003 IMTA Proceedings - International Military Testing Association

A
F II
Coordinat
or
F III
Scout
F IV
Guard
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A factor analysis, based on the total sample, of the set of items encompassing Ancona’s
questionnaire, the communication- and the motives scales shows a six factor structure. The
items of the Communication scale and the Motive scale are not distributed over the four
Boundary Management scales. Thus, they are not instantiations of one of the four functions
but measure some separate entities. There exists nevertheless a significant correlation
between them: r(A 48 ,C) = .524, r(A,M) = .458, and r(M,C) = 411.
Conclusion
The concept of boundary management is a necessary and fruitful approach to understand team
behaviors in turbulent situations and to explain what makes the difference between effective
and ineffective teams.
These behaviors can be grouped into four categories; each category of behaviors serving a
particular purpose: searching for information/means (Scout), promoting the team
(Ambassador), protecting the team (Guard), coordinating with other teams (Coordinator).
As a result of our data analysis we can conclude that the concept of boundary management
and its basic structure is validated but that the scales as elaborated by Ancona are not.
Finally, we need to refine our questionnaire to get rid of the ambiguities in three of the four
scales.
References
Ancona, D. (1990). Outward bound: Strategies for team survival in an organization. Academy
of Management Journal, 33 (2), 334-365.
Ancona, D. (1993). The classic and the contemporary: A new blend of small group theory.
In K. Murnighan (Ed), Social Psychology in organizations: Advances in theory and
research. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall.
48 “A” stands for the complete boundary management scale elaborated by Ancona,; “C” refers to our
Communication scale and “M” to our scale Motivates for contacts by external people.
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597
45 th Annual Conference of the International Military Testing Association
Pensacola, Florida, 3-6 November 2003
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