Daily team communication, manager role clarity and experienced autonomy in distributed teams

Purpose In the contemporary digital landscape, managers are increasingly leveraging digital tools to facilitate both coordination and autonomy within their distributed teams. This research sought to understand the optimal balance between these seemingly competing forces – team member autonomy and team coordination – and its influence on critical team outcomes. Specifically, the primary purpose of this study was to investigate how this balance impacts the perception of manager effectiveness by team members and the overall coordination levels within the team itself. By exploring these relationships, the research aimed to provide valuable insights into the effective management of distributed teams. Design/methodology/approach This research employed a two-pronged approach to examine the dynamics of autonomy and coordination in distributed teams. The first study utilized a time-lagged, multisource field design, collecting data from 34 managers and 151 of their respective distributed team members. This design allowed for the examination of the relationships over time and incorporated perspectives from both managers and team members. The second study adopted a diary study methodology, tracking the experiences of 150 distributed team workers over a period of two weeks. Participants completed daily reports on their experiences with autonomy, coordination and communication within their teams. These complementary methodologies allowed for a robust and nuanced understanding of the research questions. Findings The research results revealed a complex relationship between team member autonomy and key outcomes. Contrary to a linear expectation, the findings indicated curvilinear effects of autonomy on both manager effectiveness and team coordination. This suggests that there is an optimal level of autonomy; too little or too much autonomy can negatively impact these outcomes. Furthermore, these curvilinear relationships were found to be contingent on specific contextual factors. In Study 1, the effect of autonomy on manager effectiveness was moderated by the manager’s own role clarity, suggesting that clearly defined roles are crucial for leveraging autonomy effectively. In Study 2, the daily communication patterns within the team moderated the impact of autonomy on team coordination, indicating the importance of open and frequent communication in managing the effects of autonomy on collaborative efforts. Originality/value The study highlights a curvilinear relationship between autonomy and both manager effectiveness and team coordination. This suggests that the study is moving beyond a simple “more autonomy is better” or “less autonomy is better” paradigm. Moreover, the finding that the autonomy–outcome relationship is contingent on managerial role clarity and daily team communication suggests a nuanced understanding of the conditions under which autonomy is beneficial. This focus on contextual factors adds to the theoretical understanding of autonomy in distributed teams.