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Toward A Temporal Theory of Faultlines and Subgroup Entrenchment

2019; Wiley; Volume: 57; Issue: 8 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/joms.12538

1467-6486

Alyson Meister, Sherry M. B. Thatcher, Jieun Park, Mark A. Maltarich,

Innovation and Knowledge Management

Abstract A wealth of scholarship shows that faultlines drive important outcomes for groups. However, despite mounting calls for incorporating time in the group literature, our understanding of faultlines is bound by assumptions that constrain our ability to incorporate the crucial role of time as it relates to faultlines and their effects. Drawing together guidance for exploring temporal phenomena, with the faultline and group literatures, we embark on an understanding of the temporal nature of faultlines. We distinguish faultlines from specific subgroup configurations by introducing the concept of subgroup entrenchment – the agreement among group members about the existence and composition of strong and stable subgroups. We highlight how a group’s history influences its current and future experience of faultlines and subgroups, by exploring concepts such as duration, temporal alignment, and sequencing patterns. Our theory highlights how the dynamic features of multiple faultlines can influence subgroup entrenchment at any point in time.