The lasting imprint of teams: Project teams and intra-organizational network formation

In this paper we conduct two studies to investigate the role of project teams in the formation of ongoing network ties within a firm. Study one finds that teams create lasting networks that remain long after the team has disbanded; thus advancing our understanding of team performance to move beyond the time and task of an intact team. Study one also contributes to the network literature by demonstrating that teams serve as a more powerful conduit for network formation than other organizational structures or sources of proximity or homophily. Study two further delineates the role of teams in network formation by demonstrating network formation differences contingent on the properties of the team. Specifically, teams high in relational capital are more apt to form more durable and persistent ties in the future than those with lower relational capital.