Supportive but Exhausting: A Dual-path Model of Team Interdependence and Member Negative Emotional States

Although the implications of team interdependence for team performance are well established, little is known regarding its consequences on the team members’ emotional states. Drawing from Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, we propose a dual-path model of the impact of team interdependence on two distinct negative emotional states (NES), powerlessness and loneliness. More specifically, we argue that on the one hand, team interdependence can reduce member’s vulnerability to NES by facilitating a gain in support resources (i.e., social support). On the other hand, team interdependence may also increase members’ vulnerability to NES via the depletion of regulatory resources manifesting in the form of emotional exhaustion. Additionally, we propose that team goal orientations moderate these indirect effects. Testing this model using three waves of time-lagged data from a sample of manufacturing workers, we find support for the hypothesized dual pathways, and more specifically evidence of: (a) an indirect protective effect of team interdependence via social support on both powerlessness and loneliness, and (b) an indirect vulnerability effect of team interdependence via emotional exhaustion on both powerlessness and loneliness, particularly among members of teams characterized by a high team performance goal orientation. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.