Paper title & abstract

Coordination in innovation-driven multiteam systems

Abstract: Organizations often rely on multiteam systems, or teams of teams, as an organization design that fits complex environments. Many scholars have noted that the success of multiteam systems (MTSs) depends on interteam coordination. A fundamental challenge is that while component teams thrive on the enhanced proactivity and aspiration levels that stem from decentralization and autonomy, these potential performance benefits risk being offset by even stronger adverse effects attributable to interteam coordination failures. Therefore, studies suggest, strong vertical coordination is required, the negative effects on proactivity and aspiration levels notwithstanding. However, none of these studies have taken place in innovation-driven environments. In the seminar, I will discuss the early results from a unique study of MTSs in pharmaceutical R&D, and the implications for coordination in innovation-driven MTSs.

About Henrik Bresman

Henrik Bresman is a Professor at INSEAD and an expert on leadership, high-performance teams, and organizational change. He regularly works with companies and public-sector organizations embarking on large-scale transformations.

Professor Bresman’s work has appeared in leading academic and practice journals, such as the Academy of Management Journal, Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Management Review, and Organization Science, as well as many media outlets, including the Economist, Financial Times, Forbes, the New York Times, Time, and the Wall Street Journal. He is the co-author of the book X-Teams: How to Build Teams that Lead, Innovate, and Succeed (Harvard Business Review Press, 2023).

He holds a BS and an MS in economics from the Stockholm School of Economics and a PhD in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was a Fulbright scholar.

This seminar represents an integrative and important part of the House of Innovation's strategy to build a research environment through engagement with prominent guests and their work.

This seminar is part of the Academic Seminar Series offered in cooperation with the Stockholm School of Entrepreneurship.