An examination of the effects of organizational district and team contexts on team processes and performance: a meso‐mediational model

Abstract We examined the effects of organizational district and team contexts on team processes and performance in a longitudinal cross‐level design. As hypothesized, at the team‐level of analysis, interdependence related positively to team performance as partially mediated by processes. Moreover, a cross‐level mediational relationship was evident between the organizational district‐level openness climate and team performance as fully mediated by team processes. In contrast, organizational district‐level multi‐team coordination unexpectedly exhibited a direct cross‐level relationship with team performance. Multi‐team coordination also negatively interacted with team processes as related to team performance, in an exploratory analysis. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of considering both organizational‐district and team contexts as embedding conditions that influence team effectiveness. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.