Subgroups within a team: The role of cognitive and affective integration

We examine the effects of subjectively experienced (as opposed to objectively prescribed) subgroups in a team. We propose two mechanisms that might explain the consequences of subgroup perceptions in teams: Affective integration (the degree to which teammates think they have quality interpersonal relationships) and cognitive integration (CI) (the degree to which teammates have learned to understand others interpretive frameworks). We test our theory using 64 MBA project teams. Cognitive integration moderated the effect of subgroup formation on team effectiveness, while affective integration mediated the decrement that subgroup formation had on team satisfaction. Our model is general for any team that has subgroups (regardless of their reason for forming), and so provides prescriptions as to how to maximize the benefits of subgroups while minimizing their liabilities.