Learning Teamwork: Studies of Training in Software Development

科学家、工程师和技术经理经常以团队形式工作。作为团队的一部分工作的能力对组织的生产力非常重要。然而，尽管团队理论和研究有着深厚的传统，但人们对团队合作技能的获得知之甚少，特别是在技术领域。这项研究调查了工科学生和专业人士如何在软件开发中学习团队合作。建立了一个理论框架，用于考察个体和群体在协调行为和团队合作技能方面的变化。然后，对学生软件开发团队中团队合作技能的发展进行了研究。这项研究考察了学生的经验对团队结构和沟通变化的影响，以及团队协调模式与团队表现、个人表现和认知学习的关系。然后，通过研究两个组织中软件开发团队的协调和学习模式的变化，将分析扩展到实际的组织。本研究进行了两项实地研究：(1)横断面研究团队中的协调模式与团队合作的认知和态度之间的关系；(2)团队合作社会化的纵向研究，考察有经验的团队成员对新手协调行为、认知和态度变化的影响。

Scientists, engineers and technical managers often work in teams. The ability to work as part of a team contributes importantly to organizational productivity. Yet despite a strong tradition of theory and research on groups, little is known about the acquisition of teamwork skills, especially in technical domains. This research investigates how technical students and professionals learn teamwork in software development. A theoretical framework for examining individual and group change in coordination behavior and teamwork skills is developed. Then, studies of the development of teamwork skills in student software development teams are conducted. The research examines the effect of students' experience on changes in team structure and communication, and of how patterns of team coordination are associated with team performance and with individual performance and cognitive learning. The analysis is then extended to actual organizations with studies of changes in patterns of coordination and learning in software development teams in two organizations. Two field studies are conducted: (1) a cross-sectional study of how coordination patterns in teams are associated with cognitions and attitudes about teamwork, and (2) a longitudinal study of socialization for teamwork, examining the influence of experienced group members on changes in the coordination behaviors, cognitions, and attitudes of novices.