Team-based Work Research Articles

The group mind of hybrid teams with humans and intelligent agents in knowledge-intense work

Studies regularly demonstrate how well intelligent agents (IAs) can support humans or are demonstrably superior to them in some areas. Given that some tasks likely remain unsuitable for even the most intelligent machines in the mid-future, work in hybrid teams of humans and IAs—where the capabilities of both are effectively combined—will most likely shape the way we work in the coming decades. In an abductive study, we investigate an early example of hybrid teams, consisting of a conversational intelligent agent (IA) and humans, that aims to improve health behavior or change personality traits. We theorize Transactive Intelligent Memory System (TIMS) as a new vision of collaboration between humans and IAs in hybrid teams, based on our empirical insights and our literature review on transactive memory systems theory. Our empirical evidence shows that IAs can develop a form of individual and external memory, and hybrid teams of humans and IAs can realize joint systems of transactive memory—a competence that current literature only ascribes to humans. We further find that whether individuals view IAs merely as external memory aids or as part of their teams’ transactive memory is moderated by the tasks’ complexity and knowledge intensity, as well as the IA's ability to complete the task. This theorizing helps to better understand the role of IAs in future team-based working processes. Developers of IAs can use TIMS as a tool for requirements formulation to prepare their software agents for collaboration in hybrid teams.

A Learner-Centered Approach to Learning: Students from Diverse Professional Backgrounds

The review paper aims to focus on the learner-centered approach to education, which is characterized by student participation and a focus on tailoring instructional methodologies to accommodate each student's circumstances, interests, and goals. For this review research, secondary materials, which include projects, theories, and articles that have previously been published, were used. The study results from increased student engagement, improved learning outcomes, and the development of lifelong learning skills. Nevertheless, there are potential challenges that may arise, including the need for teacher instruction and assistance, the potential for inconsistent student involvement, and the imperative for meticulous planning and readiness. Technological improvements have facilitated students' access to a plethora of educational materials, enhanced their ability to collaborate, and provided them with the opportunity to receive tailored and customizable teachings. The research findings demonstrated that promoting collaboration among students from various professional backgrounds via team-based work is an additional method of incorporating interprofessional education. Simulations and other interactive instructional methods, together with student involvement in patient care and decision-making, may be beneficial in a clinical environment.

Advances in undergraduate and postgraduate education- bedside, simulation and E-learning

Clinical bedside teaching the cornerstone of medical education in the 19th century has been shaped and developed by changes in healthcare delivery and work practices. Developing skilled clinicians to work and thrive in these complex environments requires innovative and adaptive strategies. In this rapidly changing environment compounded by a shorter duration of training, there is an increasing focus on the student learner, team-based working and the development of professionalism. The continuum of medical education from undergraduate through postgraduate to continued professional development has been greatly enhanced by the adoption of new strategies and technologies. Simulation is long established in medical education and its benefits well recognised. Technological developments including Artificial Intelligence have supported and enhanced the quality of simulation in medical education. There is a broad range of simulation available with varying degrees of fidelity, as required, culminating in immersive virtual reality. The challenges for medical educators of the Covid-19 pandemic, with closure or restricted access to clinical patients, wards and classrooms, resulted in rapid restructuring of teaching programs and for many to move “on-line”. This resulted in widespread rapid adoption of technologically driven medical education, with E-learning, blended learning and innovative strategies to increase student engagement. The seismic changes in medical education necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic coupled with the upskilling of medical educators and technological advances, should result in an exciting period of continued innovation in medical education, a second “Golden Era” and enhance medical education for many years to come.

Cooperative Learning in an Interior Architecture Studio

Design studio in interior architecture education is rarely conducted as a group learning activity, despite the benefits of preparing students for team-based industry work environments. Students have learnt to be protective of their design ideas and are not always encouraged to share resources, although theories on social learning indicate a deeper learning experience is achieved through collaboration. The theoretical framework for cooperative learning, as a form of collaboration, is extensive and positively supports the virtues of group work as an effective learning activity. This paper describes an action research cycle of preparation, implementation and reflection of a cooperative learning project with third year interior architecture students. For the purposes of this research, cooperative learning is defined as a structured group work activity, with participants working together towards a series of common objectives. The main objectives were for students to experience a typical interior architecture work environment, to promote deeper learning and foster a culture of sharing ideas and resources.

Silent suffering: exploring the far-reaching impact of supervisor ostracism via sociometer theory

PurposeA limited number of empirical studies have indicated that individuals who experience workplace ostracism tend to engage in subtle and retaliatory behaviors as a means of seeking inner peace. However, research on organizational behavior and employee psychology in relation to ostracism is still in its nascent stages. Specifically, further investigation is warranted to explore how supervisor ostracism influences task procrastination (TP) through psychological processes such as self-efficacy, self-esteem and motivation. Notably, a significant gap exists in the ostracism literature, as it has yet to thoroughly examine employee behaviors related to knowledge hiding (KH) and TP in the context of individual or team-based work (Zhao et al., 2016; Brouwer and Jansen, 2019). Therefore, the present study aims to address this gap and expand the research stream within the education sector by introducing “threat to self-esteem” (TSE) as a mediating factor in the outcomes of ostracism.Design/methodology/approachThe study employed a quantitative approach, using questionnaires to collect data and mainly focused on statistics and standards. The authors used SPSS and Smart-PLS to employ numerical values developed from questionnaire surveys. Likewise, we employed primary data collection tools, including mixed survey analysis (self-reported and peer-reported). The data were collected from middle-level managers working in three public sector universities. By using a three-wave research design with a two-week interval in each phase, we were able to separate the measurement of the predictor and moderator factor [supervisor ostracism (SO) and individual resilience (IR)], mediator (TSE) and outcome variables (KH and TP).FindingsThe study has discovered a substantial relationship between variables, and all hypotheses are accepted according to the data results and findings. The study measures the effects of supervisor ostracism on knowledge hiding and task procrastination through mediating effect of threat to self-esteem, which individual resilience moderates. This study adds a few contributions to the current literature, following the goals stated above. First, this attempts to highlight employee KH behavior and TP behavior by identifying SO as the primary predictor.Research limitations/implicationsThe organization should closely monitor the level of workplace ostracism. One strategy to accomplish this goal is to routinely gauge the extent of ostracism at work using targeted techniques like surveys and observation. The organization can also create an employee assistance program for the workers to assist them in coping with the mistreatment and better adjusting to the workplace culture. Furthermore, employee empowerment and collaborative decision-making can boost workers' self-esteem, eventually leading to diminishing knowledge-hiding and procrastination habits inside the organization.Originality/valueThere is a research gap regarding the barriers to KH from the perspective of team dynamics and interpersonal mistreatment at work because prior research has focused on knowledge sharing, organizational culture and organizational obstruction. Research on organizational behavior and employee psychology in relation to ostracism is still in its nascent stages. Specifically, further investigation is warranted to explore how SO influences TP through psychological processes such as self-efficacy, self-esteem and motivation. Notably, a significant gap exists in the ostracism literature, as it has yet to thoroughly examine employee behaviors related to KH and TP in individual or team-based work.

Understanding Work Experiences of Type-A Behavior Pattern (TABP) Individuals and Their

Abstract: Type-A Behavior Pattern (TABP) individuals are often characterized by their competitive drive, time urgency, and ambitious nature, which significantly influence their work experiences and contributions within organizations. Drawing upon qualitative research methods, including in-depth interviews and thematic analysis, this study explores the lived experiences of TABP individuals in various organizational contexts. Through interviews with a diverse sample of TABP professionals across different industries and hierarchical levels, this research investigates how their inherent traits manifest in their work behavior, interactions with colleagues, perceived contribution and approaches to task completion. Findings reveal that participants were noted for fostering a culture of healthy competition in the workplace, effectively handling interruptions without succumbing to irritability, and actively engaging in team-based work dynamics. Additionally, it was discovered that participants expressed concerns about both their personal development and their contributions to the welfare of the organization in which they are currently employed. By understanding the unique work experiences of TABP individuals and their perceived contributions to the organization, organizations can better leverage their talents and foster a conducive work environment for all employees.

Playful by Design: A Third Space Community of Practice for Game Studies & Design

This paper traces the history and development of Playful by Design, a cross-campus initiative at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign from which the interdisciplinary Game Studies & Design program emerged. Interdisciplinary collaborations bridge differences between academic cultures and can spur innovative research and new programs and initiatives. Games, understood both as objects of study and as a methodology for conducting research on topics other than games, are moving into the mainstream within multiple academic disciplines; that doesn’t mean that interdisciplinary game studies must disappear as an intellectual endeavor. Playful by Design has become a local and global community of practice in which shared and overlapping interests in game-relevant research of all kinds, but also design, pedagogy, and technology, provide a durable interdisciplinary third space. As a network, it can welcome multidisciplinary activities pursued by teachers, scholars, artists, and designers within their own disciplines and in their own ways. Through creative collaborations, the sharing of resources, and the growth of team-based studio work and other experiential learning, this approach facilitates the emergence of transdisciplinary and glocal aspirations. These include shared values of accessibility and inclusion, reflected in how we teach and conduct research, and in the design and creation of games, simulations, and other interactive and immersive experiences that address the critical shared challenges of our times.

Leading innovation in transdisciplinary care.

BackgroundBenefits of effective team-based working in healthcare settings are well established, with the ultimate form being transdisciplinary teams. Achieving transdisciplinary teams at the large organisation or system level has not been extensively studied.PurposeTo examine and describe exemplar organisations where transdisciplinary working was enabled and that can be reproduced in other organisations.MethodsAn expert panel reached consensus on three healthcare organisations in the USA that exemplified transdisciplinary working. Available public information about each organisation was reviewed and site visits with direct observation and interviews were conducted with two of the three exemplar sites (the third completed remotely due to the onset of COVID-19). The process of immersion-crystallisation was used to review the collated material and to identify key themes that were then repeatedly checked with the expert panel.ResultsConsistent themes were identified across all three organisations, although they each arrived at these commonalities via distinctly different routes. All had a clear and shared creation story as to how they came about as an entity, which was supported by consistent longitudinal leadership. This enabled an environment whereby each organisation created its own language that reflected their culture as an organisation, thus continually reinforcing the uniqueness of their organisation.ConclusionsLarge healthcare organisations can achieve the concepts of transdisciplinary practice. While no single achievement pathway was identified, common themes noted were a clear creation story, consistent leadership, and building a language that reflected the organisation.

A practice-based perspective of discursive change in collegial conversations. Explicit and implicit communication at work.

This paper examines the relationship between explicit and implicit aspects of communication at work and especially how discursive change is enabled in that relationship. The studied context is collegial conversations in Swedish School-age Educare settings. The purpose is to elaborate on practice-based perspectives on reproducing and changing discourse in communication at work, contributing to productive teacher discourse. This paper proposes two aspects contributing to reproduction of discourse: shallow consensus and intersubjectivity; and two aspects enabling discursive change in collegial conversations at work: multivoicing and revisiting events. Identified aspects of (re)production in collegial conversation shows positioning and constructions of group belonging in work teams are important to make conversations productive. This paper contributes to elaboration on the literature of collegial discourse and communication and literature on team-based work.

Sisterhood in academia: building a flock culture to cope and thrive

PurposeThis paper examines the experiences of a team of female academics (teaching a large cohort of undergraduate students) and the coping mechanisms used to combat the challenges they confront in the Australian higher education sector.Design/methodology/approachUsing a reflective autoethnographic method and strengths perspective, the authors share experiences as female professionals whose intersectional identities presented challenges that extend beyond those typically found in the current higher education setting.FindingsThe individualized nature of academic work exacerbates the systemic marginalization of female academics. Adopting a flock culture serves as a support network for addressing the various intersectional challenges. The authors liken the “flock cultural approach” to a “sisterhood” where individuals impacted by intersectional challenges build a strong and cohesive unit to support each other by utilizing their combined strengths to create positive synergy to cope with ongoing workplace challenges.Research limitations/implicationsThe study highlights the benefit of the strengths perspective to understand how female academics with intersectional identities can overcome the challenges of their highly individualized profession.Practical implicationsThis paper highlights the importance of building team-based work, cultivating collective achievement and high trust in a highly individualistic profession.Social implicationsUsing the strength perspective, the authors disrupt the conventional and currently narrow usage of sisterhood to help develop strong, adaptive, flexible and responsive bonds among diverse female academics. The findings point to how using a “flock culture” – a membership-based philosophy – became the key support mechanism for the marginalized groups, empowering them to confront the systemic barriers within their profession.Originality/valueFirst, the findings of this study are shaped by the intersections of factors such as ethnicity, age, race, religion and mode of employment, which all influences the participants’ lived experiences. Second, this study contributes to the transnational feminist movement by unveiling the contextualized barriers that junior academic females from various migrant backgrounds face and identify how they synergized their collective strengths to survive the challenging academic environment. Third, using the strength perspective, the authors disrupt the conventional and currently narrow usage of sisterhood to help develop strong, adaptive, flexible and responsive bonds among diverse female academics.

Cultural diversity in health care teams: A systematic integrative review and research agenda.

Although team-based work is deemed key to improving the quality of national health care systems, adverse events related to teamwork account for up to one third of all incidents. Health care teams are typically multiprofessional and diverse in many aspects, but cultural diversity is one of the most challenging. The objective of this review is to systematically analyze the literature to better understand the impact of cultural diversity in health care teams on team processes as well as team and patient outcomes. This study also explores the conditions that enable or hinder team functioning. Through a systematic integrative literature review, this study builds on the input-process-output-context framework. Multiple searches of the main databases led to identifying 43 relevant articles. The results suggest that, when not proactively managed, cultural diversity may have a negative effect on team communication and integration, increasing team conflict and thereby negatively influencing team performance, team climate, and patient safety, both directly and indirectly. Yet, when managed properly and in the presence of engaged and culturally sensitive leadership, cultural training, and open and transparent procedures, cultural diversity in health care teams can be an asset to health care organizations. Analyzing and aggregating these findings into an integrative framework, our study identifies several themes and a research agenda for future studies on culturally diverse health care teams. Our findings suggest that culturally diverse health care teams experience a number of challenges, pointing to the need for action or structures that enable these teams to perform better, such as emphasizing learning and allowing team members time to get to know each other outside work.

“Been there, done that but also not quite:” Discoveries and limitations in an evaluative, short-term, and multi-sited ethnography of the boy scouts of America

This paper reflects on the possibilities and limits of a team-based, multi-site, evaluative ethnography. In this study, a team of qualitative researchers deployed participant observation methods to assess the level of standardization and local adaptation in the training curriculum for adult leaders in the Boy Scouts of America. While the umbrella organization remained consistent over the course of the 12-months project, researchers completed intense intervals of observation in 13 different settings across the United States over the course of a year. We reflect on the benefits and challenges that fast-paced, evaluative ethnographic approaches offer for applied settings as well as insight into the complexities of team-based field work with regards to positionality, legitimacy, and relationships between researchers.

A critical study on the implementation of operation, control and maintenance techniques for flexible manufacturing systems in small scale industries

Small industries have a lot of roles in the Indian economy and the strength of their product lies in their competitiveness in the whole world market. In spite of this highly progress rate, the huge potential in Indian small-scale industries (SSI) has not been tapped. Hence, there is the requirement to improve these industries, so that they can bloom to their fullest. To achieve the increased competitiveness, the manufacturing in SSI need to change or supplement its previous methods of production with more flexible and dynamic production systems, such as flexible manufacturing system (FMS) which is characterized by shorter product development and manufacturing lead time, Best quality and flexibility, team-based work union, short setup/change with time, as a construction strategy and multi-functional labor. FMS can help SSI to improve its process and align it to the requirements of its customers. Therefore, a discussion on the issues of SSI and presents the key features for the confirmation of FMS in SSI. Despite the fact that the efficiency was minimal, the equipment provided for the production were competent and excellent for delivering and gathering the pieces of joint. The reason for this was the machine's idle season, the growth of under creation portion (work in process stock) is high due to the lack of adequate design and unbalancing line circumstances, and finally the association of direct work on the floor. As a result, the creation was adequate, but the efficiency was low. All of these elements necessitated the development of a feasible framework in order to maximise efficiency while minimising lead time. The Adaptable Assembling Framework is then familiar with achieving success on uncontrolled bounds. To control, we used a closed consecutive circle type FMS. In a perfect world, efficiency would be maximised.

An institutional modernization project in chemical engineering education in Brazil: Developing broader competencies for societal challenges

Contemporary societal challenges put in evidence the need to improve the hard and soft skills of chemical engineering students. To promote a more student-centered approach, active-based learning, and improved assessment strategies, the Brazilian government approved the so-called New National Curriculum Guidelines (NCG) for engineering courses. To comply with those guidelines, the Department of Chemical Engineering of the Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo (USP) is currently developing an educational modernization process sponsored by the Fulbright Commission in Brazil, called Special Program for Modernization of Undergraduate Education (PMG). The project is based on three pillars of modernization: content (what), form (how), and infrastructure (where). This paper describes initiatives in each of those pillars: content and format changes in Chemical Reaction Engineering and Process Safety courses and the creation of new spaces for a student-centered approach (an innovative classroom layout and a makerspace). By gathering two concrete classroom experiences guided by a broader institutional educational policies (the PMG project and the NCG), this paper highlights that slight changes can lead to great improvements in the learning process, leading to more engagement in the development of hard skills while favoring improvements in soft skills, such as communication, team-based work, and critical thinking.

Public History in Australia

This article charts the peaks and troughs of public history inside and outside academia in Australia and the promise of the establishment of a new network of public historians in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. It reveals the value of Australian creative engagements with the past. It concludes by suggesting that networks and team-based work are vital for the successful practice of public history in Australasia and elsewhere.

Reflections on a Cross-Border Collaborative Research Effort During COVID-19

This article shares the reflections of members of a Virginia Tech-based collaborative research group and their experiences sharing information across borders during the COVID-19 pandemic. We focus here on the methodology of our team-based or collaborative work, which has examined the roles of community-led newspapers and the arts in encouraging individual and collective agency in two of Rio de Janeiro’s favelas, Maré and Rocinha. By collectively reflecting on seven prompts, our research team members discuss how our collaboration has involved working together to produce knowledge toward shared goals, with shared labor, while remaining attuned to questions of voice and power.

The importance of shared cognitions of team member expertise when building a high-performing team

PurposeOrganizations are increasingly using team-based work structures to solve complex challenges and issues. Such teams require team members to have shared cognitions – a shared, accurate and complimentary understanding of team processes – to enhance team performance. The purpose of the current research is to explore the impact of shared cognitions on team processes and team performance.Design/methodology/approachThe current research focused on shared cognitions of teammate knowledge and expertise while working in a team environment. Using an experimental design with 20 teams collaborating on six problem-solving questions, the authors test hypotheses pertaining to the relationship between shared cognitions about team member expertise and team processes and team performance.FindingsAnalysis of variance finds that teams with a greater level of shared cognitions of team member expertise have enhanced team process and greater team performance than teams without shared cognitions.Originality/valueRecommendations are made for future research and practice based on such findings. The authors discuss ways in which the findings of this study can contribute to greater team process and performance in schools, organizations and athletic teams, noting the additional ability to apply such findings in virtual settings.

Towards forming learning communities - Understanding the role of collaborative work in an undergraduate engineering program

Learning communities may form in the engineering undergraduate programmes through meaningful teamwork activities and positive experiences working with peers. This research study was conducted as part of a programme evaluation to understand how students conceptualised the purpose of a learning community. Through a thematic analysis of six focus groups with students, we have a better understanding of how students find value in maintaining relationships with their peers that they may have worked within team-based work. Each focus group consisted of students studying at the same level of the undergraduate programme – ranging from first-year students to recently graduated students. We synthesized data from these groups to guide inferences about why and how students formed communities with their peers, the motivations to maintain those communities, and any curricular interventions that fostered the sense of community. The findings of this study allow us to understand how a learning community pedagogy can be integrated into the broader engineering curriculum to provide undergraduate engineering students with meaningful and coherent learning experiences.

45 INTERPROFESSIONAL EDUCATION AND COLLABORATIVE PRACTICE IN FRAIL OLDER PERSONS’ CARE

Abstract Background Frail older adults present with complex care needs. Inter-Professional Education (IPE) is a means of creating a practice-ready workforce to improve patient safety and healthcare outcomes. A Steering Group was established comprised of acute and community clinicians, members of the Health Service Executive, service user, students and members of all Schools in the College of Medicine and Health in an Irish University (Medicine, Nursing and Midwifery, Pharmacy, Public Health, Clinical Therapies and Dentistry) to evaluate the effectiveness of IPE. A workshop dedicated to the management of frail older adults occurred for multidisciplinary healthcare students as part of a suite of three IPE workshops. Methods The validated ‘Interprofessional Collaborative Competencies Attainment Survey’ (ICCAS) evaluated student views of IPE pre- & post-workshop. This workshop involved a case-based study and facilitated discussion with involvement of frail older adult service users. One service user was in a rehabilitation unit post hospital admission, the other was living well at home. Their participation occurred using an online platform, supported by a consultant geriatrician in the rehabilitation unit and a relative for the home-based service user. Results Student scores on the six subscales of the ICCAS (communication, collaboration, roles and responsibilities, collaborative patient-centred approach, conflict management and team functioning) were compared. Scores in all categories achieved statistically significant increases after completion of the IPE workshop. The greatest positive change was observed in collaborative patient-centred approach with pre-workshop scores increasing from a mean of 2.61 to 4.25 (p<0.05). Conclusion This initiative explored the inclusion of a frail older adult workshop in the higher education setting. Older adults had an opportunity to share their lived experiences. Evaluation of this IPE initiative will inform future IPE activities to be incorporated into undergraduate education programmes. Similar IPE models can be replicated nationally to enable and enhance team-based working and integrated care.

Erasmus+ Vasıtasıyla Öğrenen Örgütü Teşvik Etmek: Türkiye’de Gençlik Kuruluşları

Turkey’s full participation in the European Union’s Education and Youth Programmes (i.e., Erasmus+Programme) since 2004 has been one of the ongoing components of Turkey–EU relations. As indicated bythe Director of the National Agency of Turkey in 2021, the programme has supported 700,000 participantsfrom Turkey in 36,000 projects over the course of 17 years. Youth organisations taking part in the learningmobility opportunities of the youth component of the Erasmus+ programme are just one of the programme’smany beneficiaries.In an effort to perform a theoretical analysis of the effects of Erasmus+ on youth organisations in Turkey,this article suggests that owing to their contextual characteristics, youth organisations have the potential totransform into learning organisation stimulated by their involvement in Erasmus+ youth projects. To answerhow Erasmus+ may act as a trigger for this, qualitative data were collected from fifteen youth organisationsfrom Turkey active in the programme and analysed around four components of the integrated model onlearning organisation developed by Örtenblad (2004) (i.e., organisational learning, learning at work, learningclimate and learning structure). The findings suggest that three major factors, namely organisationalconsciousness on learning, participatory mechanisms in the organisation and team-based working structures,are mutually reinforcing characteristics able to help youth organisations transform into learning organisationthrough participation in Erasmus+/YiA training and support activities.