Software engineering often requires a team arrangement because of the size and scope of modern projects. Several team structures have been defined and used, but these structures generally define only the tasks and jobs required for the team. Various process and product metrics seek to improve quality, even though it is generally agreed that the greatest potential benefit lies in people issues. This study uses a team-based personality profiling tool, the Belbin Self-Perception Inventory, to explore the characteristics offered by the Company Worker, one of the team roles defined by Belbin. / Master of Science

Communication delay in distributed teams is salient problem, especially in operational setting where communication is critical to team safety and success. The present study investigated the impact of communication delays affect distributed team performance and processes, and if being able to see one's team member would lessen the effects of delays. In addition, team gender composition was investigated, to see how delays affected the interactions of same and mixed-gender teams, as well as teams with familiar and unfamiliar members. Lastly, a supplemental was performed on a subset of the experimental data to determine if teams with familiar members' communicated more efficiently than unfamiliar teams when coordination complexity was high. Thirty distributed dyads, were assigned the role of intelligence analysts, and performed a collaborative problem solving task, using audioconferencing and videoconferencing technologies. During the task, participants verbally shared and discussed information in order to solve a fictitious terror plot. Communication between team members was delayed by 0 ms, 800, or 1600 ms. Linear mixed models showed that participants took longer to solve the task at the 800 ms delay. Task accuracy was not affected by delays. At the 1600 ms delay, participants shared less information with each other, and rated their frustration higher compared to the 0 ms delay. Audiovisual technology affected overall workload scores, with lower scores at the 0 ms delay compared to the 800 ms delay. Although delays did not have the anticipated effect on familiar and same-gender teams, there were some interactive effects of interest. Specifically, in gender-diverse teams task accuracy was higher with audiovisual technology than audio-alone, but this effect was independent of delays. Also, familiar teams exhibited higher levels of cognitive trust across all levels of delay and technology. Results of the supplemental analysis showed no differences in communication efficiency between familiar and unfamiliar teams when coordination complexity was high. Based on the results of this work, recommendations were proposed for strategies to lessen the effects of communication delays and future research directions were outlined. / Doctor of Philosophy / Communication delay in distributed teams is salient problem, especially in operational settings where communication is critical to team safety and success. In previous work, communication delays have been shown to disrupt turn-taking in conversations and create instances of overlaps or interruptions. The present study was conducted to further investigate the effects of communication delays on various aspects of distributed team performance and to determine if being able to see one’s team member via video technology may potentially lessen the effects of delays. In addition, team gender composition was investigated, to see how delays affected the interactions of same and mixed-gender teams, as well as teams with familiar and unfamiliar members. Lastly, a supplemental analysis was performed using a subset of the experimental data to determine if teams with familiar members’ communicated more efficiently than unfamiliar teams when coordination complexity was high. Thirty distributed teams of two members or dyads, performed a collaborative problem solving task, using audio conferencing and videoconferencing technologies. During the task, participants verbally shared and discussed information in order to identify the solution to a fictitious terror plot. Communication between team members was delayed by 0 ms, 800, or 1600 ms. Overall, results showed that participants took longer to solve the task at the 800 ms delay, with no effects on task accuracy. At the 1600 ms delay, participants shared less information with each other, and rated their frustration higher compared to the 0 ms delay. When teams used audiovisual technology, workload scores were lower at 0 ms compared to the 800 ms delay. Although delays did not have the anticipated effects on familiar and same-gender teams, there were some other interesting effects that emerged. Namely, gender-diverse teams scored higher accuracy with audiovisual technology than audio-alone, but this effect was independent of delays. Also, teams with familiar members exhibited higher levels of cognitive trust across all levels of delay and technology. Results of the supplemental analysis showed that unfamiliar teams communicated more efficiently with audiovisual technology, but only when coordination complexity was low.

Team cohesion represents arguably the most studied team construct as it has been consistently shown to be associated with improved performance. However, although cohesion is now understood to be an emergent state—as it develops over a team's life cycle—research has yet to uncover the dynamic nature of cohesion. The current study was designed to particularly test the impact of team personality composition both on the initial status of cohesion, and on changes in cohesion over time. 80 newly formed teams performed a highly interdependent team task, and team cohesion was measured over six time points. Personality was measured prior to the task and calculated at the team level, as both an average and a variability score. After performing longitudinal hierarchical linear modeling, results indicated that team personality impacts cohesion differently at initial status and over time. In particular, higher team agreeableness predicted greater slopes of cohesion, but not initial cohesion levels. Also, higher extraversion predicted greater initial status of cohesion, but not greater slopes. These results present important boundary conditions for understanding the role of team personality composition on team cohesion. / Master of Science

Team projects in engineering are critical sites for professional and personal development as students interact with peers and faculty on projects designed to simulate engineering work. These projects allow students to try on professional roles and establish a sense of identity within their field, which in turn influences their retention through college and into engineering careers. However, team projects can present challenges specific to students from underrepresented populations. While research on women's team experiences is strong, few researchers have studied African-Americans. To fill this gap, the current study explores the experiences of African-American males on multiracial student teams and the impact of those teams on these students' identities. This qualitative study employed a phenomenological approach, using a three-interview sequence with eight African-American male engineering students as they worked on team projects at a predominantly white institution (PWI). The interviews gathered background information about each participant, explored the team functionality during the project, and enabled participants to reflect on the team experience. Two theoretical frameworks were considered during the study design: 1) intergroup contact theory provided a lens to explore interracial interactions, and 2) multiple identities provided a lens to analyze the impact of team dynamics on students' intersecting identities. The findings provide a rich understanding of the team experiences of African-American male students that can enhance project-based teaching within engineering to more explicitly attend to team dynamics, including interracial interactions for students of color. Both positive and negative impacts on African-American males in engineering emerged from the intergroup contact within the team environment. Specifically, the results indicate that these participants enjoyed their multiracial student teaming experiences, supported by informal social interactions among team members and generally positive professional interactions. However, the study participants also entered their team experiences fully aware of the negative stereotypes about African-Americans in engineering and proactively worked to dispel those stereotypes. / Ph. D.

The use of teams and work groups in organizations has become increasingly more popular in the last decade. Within each of these groups, a leadership role must be filled in order for the team to achieve its task. This study posited that the method by which the leader comes into this role may have a direct impact on the group's performance and its perceptions of the group's interpersonal processes and efficiency, satisfaction with the group, satisfaction with the group output, and support for the leader. In addition, the influence of leader assignment was expected to change based on the level of interdependence required by the task. One hundred forty-eight subjects were assigned to one of four conditions in a 2X2 design (appointed vs. elected leaders X high vs. low interdependence task), and were asked to fill out a questionnaire upon completion of their task. Results found that the higher level of interdependence was significantly related to more favorable ratings of Perceived Group Efficiency ( F =6.89, p <.05) and Satisfaction with Group Output ( F =7.69, p <.05). Possible limitations and future research opportunities are addressed. / Master of Science

Yes / This article presents an integrative review of the rapidly growing body of research on trust in work teams. We start by analyzing prominent definitions of trust and their theoretical foundations, followed by different conceptualizations of trust in teams emphasizing its multilevel, dynamic, and emergent nature. We then review the empirical research and its underlying theoretical perspectives concerning the emergence and development of trust in teams. Based on this review, we propose an integrated conceptual framework that organizes the field and can advance knowledge of the multilevel nature of trust in teams. Our conclusion is that trust in teams resides at multiple levels of analysis simultaneously, is subject to factors across levels in organizations, and impacts performance and other relevant outcomes both at the individual and team levels. We argue that research should not only differentiate between interpersonal trust between members from collective trust at the team level, but also emphasize the interplay within and between these levels by considering cross-level influences and dynamics. We conclude by proposing four major directions for future research and three critical methodological recommendations for study designs derived from our review and framework. / NASA/Johnson Space Center. Grant Number: NNJ16HP08P

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Strategic management of knowledge is considered one of the key factors for a sustainable competitive advantage. Knowledge sharing in particular is the most essential part of the knowledge management process. Its relation with the organisational culture has been the focus of attention of several studies especially in American, Asian and European companies. Firms are organising their work around project and project teams. Moreover, multinational project teams are seen as a source for knowledge generation. They can provide information about the needs of customers geographically dispersed, from different cultural backgrounds, who speak different languages and with different set of preferences. Nevertheless, the temporary nature, uniqueness, and complexity of international projects present their own set of challenges and companies need to work different in order to achieve project success. This study aims to analyse the organisational culture features that enhances or hinder the knowledge sharing process in multinational project teams working in Latin America. Although studies regarding the topic have been made before, they not provide empirical evidence or do not consider project teams working in a multinational environment. Furthermore, previous studies do not consider Latin American &amp; Caribbean organisations, a region where foreign investment has continuously increased in the last decades and as a whole, is considered the third-fastest growing economy in the globe. A mixed approach is used to answer the research question, a deductive rationale to create a theoretical framework and an inductive approach to provide some theoretical propositions based on the findings. Seven semi-structured interviews were done to analyse two cross-sectional case studies. Our study identified several characteristics of organisational culture that influence knowledge sharing, some of them have a direct influence whereas others have an indirect influence. Speaking a different language and cultural differences are the main challenges faced by multinational project teams in order to enable knowledge sharing. Fear was also found to act as a barrier regarding the knowledge sharing process but is not specific only for this type of organisation. In contrast, trust in colleagues, positive relationships among employees and a culture of collaboration were found to enhance the knowledge sharing process but are not specific to multinational project teams.Finally, some managerial and theoretical implications are provided as well as suggestions for future research.

This student thesis in General Management addresses how leaders can bridge the gap between work groups and teams in geographically dispersed organizations and partially distributed teams. These types of organizational structures are increasingly common in the globalized world of business, and bring benefits to many organizations by for example connecting skilled workers regardless of their location through the means of information and communications technology. However, previous research within the field of work in dispersed settings has identified several challenges that these settings entail, including areas like for example group cohesion and motivation. If not handled, these challenges may have negative effects on team performance and organizational effectiveness. Previous studies have mostly targeted the challenges in isolation. The purpose of this study is to provide a holistic perspective, connecting different challenges in order to pinpoint reasons and effects. By identifying consequences that follow from being geographically dispersed and investigating how the challenges affect a real-world organization, the study aims to suggest countermeasures to deal with these consequences. Theory is built using Informed Grounded Theory, based on primary data from 21 in-depth interviews conducted at a Swedish high tech company. Through an analysis combining the primary data with secondary data stemming from relevant literature, the study presents conclusions including suggested countermeasures to overcome challenges imposed by work in dispersed settings. The study identifies communication as the key factor with possibility to affect group cohesion and motivation directly, and thereby also performance indirectly. Thoughtful use of different types of communication can in fact counteract challenges and lead to increased productivity and well-being. The study has implications for organizations that are planning for, or currently utilizing a dispersed organizational structure, and aids in understanding the collected effects of the challenges involved. The study is conducted at one company, which can be seen as a limitation. To counteract for this limitation, the researchers have put in effort to emphasize generalizable factors.

Mini-research report presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Administration at the University of Stellenbosch. / Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This report is a literature study that focuses on the characteristics of successful project teams in the research and development environment. Successful project teams are becoming an increasingly important factor in business. However, traditional quantitative project management tools no longer give project teams a competitive edge - additional qualitative tools are required, following a systems approach. A number of characteristics of project teams, with the focus on the qualitative issues, particularly the people issues, are investigated. A project team operates in the context of its environment, mostly an organisation with a structure and an organisational culture. Methods and concepts in selecting and managing a dynamic project team within a turbulent and fast changing environment are discussed. The topics covered are: environmental fit, visions and goals, leadership and team roles, systems and procedures, values, organisational culture, rewards and recognition methods,and training and development. This literature study aims to encourage a paradigm shift away form the traditional triangle of budget, brief and time towards a stronger focus on people issues as people are the most important assets of a project team. As people do not behave in a linear way, as required for quantitative tools, new methods and tools are required. The hypothesis that was subsequently formulated from this study states that research and development teams can be more successful if they are regarded as a non-linear system consisting of various inputs, processes and outputs. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie verslag is 'n literatuurstudie wat fokus op die eienskappe van suksesvolle projekspanne in 'n navorsings en ontwikkelings omgewing. Suksesvolle projekspanne raak al hoe belangriker in besigheid. Tradisionele kwantitatiewe metodes is nie meer voldoende vir projekspanne om 'n kompeterende voordeel te bekom nie en moet hierdie metodes aangevul word met kwalitatiewe metodes gebaseer op 'n stelselbenadering. Verskeie karakteristieke van projekspanne, met die fokus op kwalitatiewe eienskappe, in besonder die menslike aspekte word ondersoek. 'n Projekspan funksioneer in die konteks van sy omgewing, meestal 'n organisasie met 'n struktuur en organisatoriese kultuur. Metodes en konsepte in die seleksie en bestuur van 'n dinamiese projekspan in 'n tubulente en vinnig veranderende omgewing word bespreek. Die temas wat gedek word is: omgewingsaanpassing,visie en doelwitte, leierskap en spanrolle, stelsels en prosedures, waardes, organisatoriese kultuur, vergoedings en erkennings metodes, en opleiding en ontwikkeling. Hierdie literatuurstudie mik om 'n paradigma skuif aan te moedig, weg van die tradisionele driehoek van begroting, doelwit en tyd, na 'n sterker fokus op menslikesake aangesien mense die belangrikste bates van 'n projekspan is. Aangesien mense nie op 'n liniere manier reageer soos wat nodig is vir kwantitatiewe metodes nie, word nuwe metodes en gereedskap benodig. Die hipotese wat geformuleer is uit hierdie navorsing, se dat navorsings en ontwikkelingspanne meer suksesvol kan wees indien hulle gesien word as 'n nie-liniere stelsel wat bestaan uit verskeie insette, prosesse en uitsette.