Handbook of Management Scales/Cross-functional integration

Cross-functional integration

Description

Zacharia & Mentzer’s (2004) and Daugherty et al.’s (2009) scales were used to measure cross-functional integration.

Items

Please rate the extent to which the following items describe your logistics organization:

• Within our organization cross-functional work teams are extensively utilized for managing day-to-day operations.
• Within our organization, employees are encouraged to work together with colleagues from other functional areas.
• Managers in our organization are strongly encouraged to share information and provide input to other functional areas.
• Within our organization, employees from different functional areas are strongly encouraged to share resources.
• Managers across our organization work together in (informal) teams.

Items were measured with a 7-point Likert scale ranging from “1 = I strongly disagree” to “7 = I strongly agree”.

Source

• Bühler/Wallenburg/Wieland (2016): Accounting for External Turbulence of Logistics Organizations via Performance Measurement Systems. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Vol. 21, No. 6

Comments

The scale was used as a control. No reliability indicators were reported for this scale.

Cross-functional integration (alpha = 0.94)

Description

Although certain items of some scales were developed specifically for the Japanese context, many were derived from existing validated scales. Respondents answered all questions using a Likert-type scale ranging from 0 to 10; field research suggested that an 11-point scale was appropriate for studying Japanese management practices because a 100 percent grading system is used in most Japanese schools.

Definition

Cross-functional integration in an new product development (NPD) project team refers to the magnitude of interaction and communication, the level of information sharing, the degree of coordination, and the extent of joint involvement across functions in specific NPD tasks.

Items

To what extent does each statement listed below correctly describe this selected successful project? (0 = strongly disagree, 10 = strongly agree)

• The integration between R&D and manufacturing was very good for this selected project. (1.00)
• The integration between marketing and R&D was very good for this selected project. (0.86)
• The integration between marketing and manufacturing was very good for this selected project. (0.80)

Source

• Song/Montoya-Weiss (2001): The Effect of Perceived Technological Uncertainty on Japanese New Product Development. Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 44, No. 1, pp. 61-80.

Comments

This scale might be formative, because high integration between R&D and manufacturing doesn't necessarily correlate with high integration between marketing and manufacturing.