Addressing Politics in Matrix Teams

Analyses of data collected from 172 members of 23 matrix teams indicated that member perceptions of team-level politics were negatively related to executive and member ratings of effectiveness and to member expressions of satisfaction with and commitment to the matrix team. In addition, results of moderated multiple regression analyses indicated that member-team goal congruence moderated these relationships. Perceptions of politics were more strongly related to the outcome variables among individuals who did not share the priorities of their team members than among those whose goal priorities were consistent. These results suggest that leaders can help their team members cope with politics by making efforts to ensure that they share goal priorities of team members.