Studying team performance dynamics in tasks and activities has proven difficult because of the dynamic and unpredictable nature of the real world. Microworld systems aim to address that issue by providing researchers with controllable simulated environments that captures the essence of their real-world counterpart activities. This study utilized one such microworld system, called C3Fire, to simulate a forest firefighting setting where 48 participants divided into 12 teams were tasked with cooperating in extinguishing the fires. Teams consisted of four roles – each with its different responsibilities and resources. The aim of this study was to determine whether any individual team role had a greater impact on team performance than the other roles. Each team encountered three distinct scenarios of varying difficulty. Command input action counts and self-assessed performance scores were collected for each participant. These measurements were tested for correlations with team scores. The logistics chief role, who was responsible for re-filling and re-fueling other units, stood out as being the only role whose command input count correlated with team score, and being one of only two roles for which command inputs and self-assessed performance scores were correlated, as well. Results of a multiple regression procedure also indicated that the command counts of the logistics chief was a significant predictor of team score.

This thesis explores object based design team communication. It is assumed that boundary objects in design teams serve as an important communication aid and are considered to have a crucial role in the conducting of multidisciplinary teamwork. Objects, such as design specifications and prototypes, can for example help bridging knowledge gaps between the different interests involved and offer guidance and support in their design work. The aim was to identify the possible problems that might occur connected to the different objects used in a design team. In order to study this, an ethnographical inspired study was carried out. Overall results were that the design team needed to extend their use of objects, in order to be fully supported by them in their work. Further, the existing objects needed to be changed or used differently. A “communication resource hub” was suggested, where all the new and old objects could be gathered. In this “resource hub” there should be room for different models that could be applied as a support for deciding on the right objects for the right purpose.

Swedish nuclear power plant control room crews have training sessions in full scope simulators every year. These sessions are designed to prepare operators to cope with incidents and accidents. The aim is to develop operators’ knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to operate the nuclear power plant in a safe manner. Training sessions is an opportunity to practice and develop the crews’ teamwork, decision processes and working strategies. The purpose of this study was to explore if and how the instrument Shared Priorities can support training of nuclear power plant control room crews. Shared Priorities is an instrument to measure teams’ shared awareness of a situation and has in earlier studies been used in military and student teams. During the simulator re-training period of control room crews, 14 crews used the instrument Shared Priorities in one or two of their training scenarios. The instrument consists of two steps. Firstly, crew members generate and prioritise a list of five items they think are most important for the crew to cope with in the scenarios current situation. They also rank another crew member’s list. Secondly, the crews and instructors perform a focus group discussion based on the generated lists. Results from questionnaires, focus group discussions and an interview with instructors showed that operators and instructors believe that Shared Priorities can support their training in several ways. Crews see meetings and other disseminations of information as an essential part of maintaining shared understanding of different situations. They believe the instrument may help crews reflect upon and develop their meeting procedures. Operators and instructors also believe that by using the instrument it can help crews to increase their understanding of having a shared situation understanding and shared vision. However the procedure when using Shared Priorities has to be modified in order to be able to support crews’ training in an optimal way.

Aim: The overall aim of the thesis was to investigate patient safety culture, team performance and the use of simulation-based team training for building patient safety in intensive care nursing. Methods: Quantitative and qualitative methods were used. In Study I, 220 RNs from ten ICUs responded to a patient safety culture questionnaire analysed with statistics. Studies II-IV were based on an evaluation of a simulation-based team training programme. Studies II-III included 53 RNs from seven ICUs and ten RNs from a post-graduate programme (II). The data were collected with questionnaires (II) and measurement scales (III), and analysed with statistics. In Study IV, 18 RNs were interviewed and the data were analysed with a qualitative content analysis. Main findings: The RNs had positive perceptions of the overall patient safety culture in the ICUs. Hence, a potential for improvements was identified at both the unit and hospital level. Differences between types of ICUs and between hospitals were found. The dimensions at the unit level were predictors for the outcome dimensions (I). The RNs evaluated the simulation-based team training programme in a positive way. Differences with regard to scenario roles, prior simulation experience and area of intensive care practice were found (II). The expert raters assessed the teams’ performance as advanced novice or competent. There were differences between the expert raters’ assessments and the RNs’ self-assessments (III). One main category emerged to illuminate the RNs’ perceptions of simulation-based team training for building patient safety: Regular training increases the awareness of clinical practice and acknowledges the importance of structured work in teams (IV). Conclusions: Patient safety culture measurements have the potential to identify areas in need of improvement, and simulation-based team training is appropriate to create a common understanding of structured work in teams with regard to patient safety. / Baksidestext Intensive care represents potential patient safety challenges for critically ill patients. Human errors are the most common cause of incidents, and failures in team performance are identified as contributory factors. The measurements of patient safety culture and simulation-based team training are recommended initiatives to improve patient safety. The aim of the thesis was to investigate patient safety culture, team performance and the use of simulation-based team training for building patient safety in intensive care nursing. The nurses had a positive perception of the overall patient safety culture. A potential for improvements were found in incident reporting, feedback and communication about errors and organizational learning. The RNs evaluated the simulation-based team training programme in a positive way. The assessments of nurses’ team performance with respect to communication, leadership and decision-making in a simulation-based emergency situation showed a variation in competencies from advanced novice to competent. There were differences between expert raters’ assessments and nurses’ self-assessments. The nurses perceived that simulation-based team training on a regular basis increases the awareness of clinical practice and acknowledges the importance of structured teamwork.

The recent wave of globalization triggered by the end of the Cold War and stimulated by progressing liberalization of trade and international migration policies has led to a significant surge in numbers of bicultural individuals, i.e. people with more than one ethnic identity (Nguyen & Benet-Martinez, 2007), and thus, a surge in bicultural employees. An emerging stream of research from psychology and organizational studies indicates that bicultural individuals have a particular set of skills and competencies that can contribute to the performance of international teams and, in turn, organizations. However, to date there has not been a large sample empirical study investigating the oft-stated relationship between biculturals and performance. This dissertation seeks to fill this gap in the literature by examining said relationship by relating the composition of national association football teams to results in six consecutive FIFA World Cup and six UEFA European Championship tournaments (i.e. the results of 272 teams in 12 competitions). The results indicate that biculturalism improves team performance when moderated by the cultural diversity of the competitive environment of the team. / Graduate

Intresset för projekt som organiseringsform har kraftigt ökat de senaste decennierna. Trots dess popularitet misslyckas fortfarande många projekt. Tidigare forskning har lagt stort fokus på verktyg och projekt som tydligt avgränsade enheter. Bredare empirisk bas och fler teoretiska perspektiv är nödvändigt för att öka förståelsen kring projekt som fenomen. Studiens syfte är att utifrån ett projektledarperspektiv förstå förutsättningarna organisationer ger projekt, projektledare och team. Vidare ämnar studien förstå hur dysfunktioner inom team manifesteras och hur de hanteras.  Studien är genomförd genom en kvalitativ ansats. Empiri har samlats in genom sex stycken semistrukturerade intervjuer från fem olika organisationer och branscher. Alla respondenter är projektledare med minst fem års erfarenhet av att leda ITprojekt. En genomgång av tidigare forskning och artikeldatabaser ligger till grund för den teoretiska referensramen och analysen. Teorier och begrepp som används i teoriavsnittet är Tillfällig och permanent organisering, Projektlivscykeln, Projekttriangeln och Team. Studien visar att tydlighet i olika former som kravspecifikation, förankring, målsättningar, kommunikation och kontrakt är en förutsättning som organisationen ger projekt, projektledare och team. Utöver tydlighet är en annan förutsättning från organisationen att allokera resurser, vilket leder till problem och dysfunktioner som splittrade grupper, ökad komplexitet, urholkning av resurser, brist på kvalitet och tillit inom team som projektledare får hantera. Genom att skydda team från utomstående intressenter, skapa bra sammanhållning och forum för kommunikation, försöker projektledare ge goda förutsättningar för team att genomföra projekt. / The popularity for project as a way of organizing has dramatically increased the last decades. Despite it’s popularity a lot of projects still fail. Earlier research has focused on tools and projects as an isolated entity. More empirical data and theoretical views are necessary to increase the understanding about project as a phenomenon. The purpose of this study is to examine from the project managers point of view, what conditions project, project managers and teams get from the organization. Furthermore, the study aims to understand how dysfunctions in team manifest and how they are handled. The study is based on a qualitative approach. Data has been gathered using sex semi-structured interviews in five different organizations and industries. All respondents are project managers with at least five years of experience managing IT-projects. A review of earlier research and databases with articles was the foundation on what the theory and analysis is based upon. Theories and concepts that’s been used are: Temporary and permanent organization, Project lifecycle, the project triangle and Team The study shows that clarification in different forms, like project specification, goals, anchoring, communication and contracts, is a condition that the organization gives project, project managers and teams. Another condition from the organization is the allocation of resources, which creates problems and dysfunctions like fragmented groups, increased complexity, erosion of resources, lack of quality and trust within teams, and then becomes the project manager responsibility to manage. By protecting team from external stakeholders, create good cohesion and forums of communication, project managers tries to give good conditions to the team to finish the project.

Teams offer more flexibility within organizations and their business is shaped around teams to be more competitive in complex business environments. Teams are also the ideal work structure in which team members can influence each other’s perceptions of their work climate. Existing research results positively linked organizational climate with productivity prediction. The perception of team members of their social environment influence their behaviour and should be of interest to organizations if it can be proven that these perceptions of climate can be influenced. The main research question guiding the study was, “What is the predictability of emotional intelligence, team member exchange and goal orientation on team climate?” A literature study highlighted that team climate (TCI) is assumed to be the aggregation of individuals perceptions of the team context they work in. If the perceptions of the climate that people work in guide their behaviour, then it is likely that those perceptions of climate, and the responses that follow, may be influenced through individual attributes, appropriate structures, processes and interaction in the team. Emotional intelligence (EI) reflects the ability to recognize and control and regulate emotions in oneself and in others, with regulating in others implying an element of influence. It was further established that goal orientation (GO) refers to the two predispositional goal orientations individual seems to have indicating a different approach to setbacks, challenges and goal achievement. Team member exchange (TMX) was used in this study as reflection on an individual’s evaluative perception of his exchange interaction relationship as well as the anticipated reciprocal exchange with fellow team members. A confirmatory factor analysis was done on each of the four different instruments (TCI, EI TMX and GO). A path analysis was then developed based on the correlation matrix in order to reflect the relevant relationships between the different variables. The results reflected a strong causal relationship between team member exchange and team climate. Contrary to that, emotional intelligence and goal orientation had elements of a very weak to no causal relationship at all with team climate. The result confirmed that team exchange actions, facilitated through team meetings, influence team members’ perception of their team climate. If climate can be influenced to a positive supporting climate, team performance will be enhanced. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Human Resource Management / Unrestricted

Bakgrund: Legitimerade sjuksköterskor har i sin yrkesroll ansvar för ledarskapet i omvårdnadsarbetet. Teamarbete har blivit en alltmer populär och etablerad arbetsform där ledarskapet är av stor vikt. Det handlar om att kunna leda, prioritera och samordna omvårdnadsarbetet utifrån patientens behov och sina medarbetares kompetenser, vilket ger en förutsättning för en god och säker vård. Syfte: Att identifiera faktorer som inverkar på sjuksköterskors ledarroll i omvårdnadsarbetet. Metod: En allmän litteraturöversikt, där artiklar av både kvalitativ och kvantitativ ansats har granskats och analyserats. Likheter och skillnader har jämförts och sammanställts i resultatdelen. Resultat: Resultatet visade på aspekter som påverkar sjuksköterskor i sin ledarroll som sedan avspeglas i olika kategorier. De kategorier som framkom var brister i yrkeserfarenhet och kunskap, effektiva kommunikationsstrategier samt stöd och samarbete. Slutsats: Det är av vikt att sjuksköterskors ledarroll identifieras. Dels för att det inte ska förekomma några otydliga krav och att inga oklara arbetsuppgifter ska uppstå, som leder till otrygghet i omvårdnadsarbetet. En ökad kompetens ger sjuksköterskor en större självkänsla att våga agera i svåra situationer.

This thesis "The Analysis of IT possibilities and utilization in teamwork on the school projects" deals with a problem of teamwork cooperation of the students of the University of Economics in Prague. The students worked on school projects, using information technologies. The introduction of the thesis deals with the basic theoretical knowledge of formation, functioning and team communication. Then some specification of collaborative software is given. Fundamental subject matter of the practical part of this thesis shows the outcome of a survey by questionnaire which analyses students' general view on teamwork. It is followed by the team origin aspect, organization of teams and the analysis of information technology possibilities and utilization in the cooperation of students. In conclusion the author makes some suggestions resulting from gained information on the school team creation and on the information technologies utilization in teamwork projects.

This thesis contemplates virtual teams, in particular the role of a leader in them. In the theoretical part of the thesis I explore and describe specific characteristics of virtual teams that distinguish them from the traditional teamwork paradigm, benefits and risks stemming from their use in the business world and policies and principles of leadership of different types of virtual teams that help achieve their maximum efficiency. In the practical portion of the thesis I demonstrate the negative effects of neglecting those principles by studying an example of a real, failed virtual team.