DHB Enhancing the Effectiveness of Partially Distributed Teams: Pilot Studies on Distance and Leadership

技术描述：部分分布式团队(PDT)由多个地理上分散的子组组成，每个子组包含配置在一起的团队成员，但子组之间的通信必须主要通过信息和通信技术进行。这种本地和远程亚群的混合配置导致了PDT中独特的-但尚不清楚-行为动力学。目前的研究将进行试点研究，为与PDT相关的行为动力学的更大规模的国际现场实验做准备。我们将与来自四所大学的学生团体合作，开展两项试点研究。第一项研究将测试和改进一套实验程序，在灾难应对方案的背景下，制定和跟踪部分分散的团队项目的过程和成功。第二项研究将实施一项小规模的国际实验，以帮助我们测试和选择我们正在考虑用于未来大规模国际实地实验的几种领导配置。尽管试点研究旨在开发和完善我们的实验程序，从而降低大规模国际PDT实验的风险和不确定性，但作为科学研究，它们也具有智力价值。主要从第二个试点研究中收集的定性数据出发，我们将开发扎根理论来解释PDT组成和领导配置如何与团队动态、开发过程和结果相互作用。研究中收集的定量数据将为我们对领导因素的解释提供一致的证据。广泛的影响和重要性：灾难应对团队往往分布在遥远的地方，必须跨距离协作和协调努力。他们是分布式团队的主要例子：一群人在共同目标的指导下执行相互依赖的任务，并通过使用电子通信技术跨越空间、时间和组织边界工作。当一场危机是国际性的时，灾难应对小组更有可能是一个分布在全球的团队--一个临时的、文化多元的、分散在国际各地的、以电子方式沟通的工作组。全球分布的团队的其他常见应用是软件开发项目和多国组织的其他国际努力。全球分布式团队的常见配置是部分分布式团队(PDT)，它包括同一位置的子组，在计算机网络技术的进步支持下，与其他位置的一个或多个子组一起工作。PDT倾向于群体团队动力(增加与小组成员的互动和对小组成员的偏爱行为；减少信任和团队凝聚力，增加小组之间的冲突)。给定子小组的成员通过面对面的互动进行他们的大部分团队工作。在面对面的协作中，共享的物理环境和丰富的社交线索促进了凝聚力、共享身份的发展，并更好地管理了小组内的冲突。然而，小组之间的团队动态会威胁到整个团队的凝聚力和发展，并可能对团队绩效产生可怕的后果。此外，领导力对团队有效性的一个重要决定因素--PDT的影响仍未得到探索。在这项研究中，我们将进行两项先导性研究，其中一项是国际范围的，为大规模的全球现场实验做准备，以研究团队中的团队动力学，目的是提高PDTS的有效性。研究中使用的任务将涉及制定软件需求，以支持当地在应急管理和恢复方面的努力。这项研究有以下广泛的目标：它将进一步加深我们对全球化如何影响劳动力的理解，并阐明组织如何提高其对分布式团队的有效利用。它将在本科生和研究生一级的大学课堂上介绍劳动力全球化带来的文化多样性和合作的研究问题。

Technical Description:A partially distributed team (PDT) consists of multiple, geographically-distributed subgroups, where each subgroup contains collocated team members but communication among subgroups must occur primarily through information and communication technology. This hybrid configuration of local and remote subgroups leads to unique - and as yet poorly understood - behavioral dynamics within PDTs. The current research will conduct pilot studies in preparation for a larger-scale international field experiment of the behavioral dynamics associated with PDTs. Working with student groups from four universities, we will carry out two pilot studies. The first study will test and refine a set of experimental procedures that enact and track the process and success of partially distributed team projects, in the context of a disaster response scenario. The second study will implement a small-scale international experiment to help us test and select among several leadership configurations we are considering for use in a future large-scale international field experiment.Although the pilot studies have been designed to develop and refine our experimental procedures and thereby reduce the risk and uncertainty of the large-scale international PDT experiment, they also have intellectual merit as scientific research. Working primarily from the qualitative data collected in the second pilot study, we will develop grounded theory to explain how PDT composition and leadership configuration interact with team dynamics, development processes and outcomes. The quantitative data collected in the study will provide converging evidence for our interpretation of leadership factors.Broader Impacts and Importance:Disaster response teams are often far-flung, and must collaborate and coordinate efforts across distance. They are a prime example of a distributed team: a group of people who carry out interdependent tasks guided by a common purpose and work across space, time, and organizational boundaries by using electronic communication technologies. When a crisis is of international proportions, the disaster response team is further likely to be a globally distributed team - a temporary, culturally diverse, internationally dispersed, and electronically communicating work group. Other common applications of globally distributed teams are software development projects and other international efforts of multi-national organizations. A common configuration for globally distributed teams is the partially distributed team (PDT), which includes subgroups in the same location, working with one or more subgroups in other locations, supported by advancements in computer networking technologies. PDTs are prone to ingroup team dynamics (increased interaction with and preferential behavior towards members in one's subgroup; reduced trust and team cohesiveness, and increased conflict between subgroups). Members of a given subgroup conduct much of their teamwork via face-to-face interaction. The shared physical context coupled with the rich social cues present in face-to-face collaboration fosters cohesion, the development of a shared identity, and better conflict management within a subgroup. However, ingroup team dynamics between subgroups can threaten overall team cohesiveness and development and may have dire consequences on team performance. Furthermore, the impact of leadership on PDTs, an important determinant of team effectiveness, remains unexplored. In this research we will conduct two pilot studies, one of which is international in scope, to prepare for a large-scale global field experiment to study ingroup team dynamics for the purpose of increasing the effectiveness of PDTs. The task used in the studies will involve developing requirements for software that is to support local efforts in emergency response management and recovery.This research has the following broad objectives:. It will further our understanding of how globalization impacts the work force, and shed light on how organizations can increase their effective use of distributed teams.. It will introduce into the university classroom, at both undergraduate and graduate levels, the research issues of cultural diversity and collaboration that arise with workforce globalization.