"In an increasingly knowledge-intensive economy, organizations are becoming more and more likely to rely on groups of specialized experts to perform complex knowledge work. These groups simply can't be effective unless they can identify and utilize the expertise of their members," according to J. Stuart Bunderson, Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis. 

Bunderson has published a study in the Dec 2004 issue of Administrative Science Quarterly entitled "Recognizing and Utilizing Expertise in Work Groups: A Status Characteristics Perspective," as reported in Work groups perform best when expertise is judged from task-relevant cues Superficial assumptions can spell business disaster By Eileen P. Duggan Nov. 11, 2004.

The findings have unique implications for virtual teams, where there is no opportunity to observe social cues. Bunderson's paper suggests this as one of several topics for follow on research.

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