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

DHB 提高部分分布式团队的效率：关于距离和领导力的试点研究

• 批准号: 0623047
• 负责人: Rosalie Ocker
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Pennsylvania State Univ University Park
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-09-15 至 2008-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0623047&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DHB; Enhancing; Effectiveness; Partially; Distributed

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.

技术描述：部分分布式团队 (PDT) 由多个地理上分布的子组组成，其中每个子组包含并置的团队成员，但子组之间的通信必须主要通过信息和通信技术进行。 这种本地和远程子组的混合配置导致了 PDT 中独特的（但目前仍知之甚少的）行为动态。 目前的研究将进行试点研究，为与 PDT 相关的行为动力学进行更大规模的国际现场实验做准备。 我们将与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完善一组实验程序，这些程序在灾难响应场景中制定和跟踪部分分布式团队项目的流程和成功。 第二项研究将实施一项小规模国际实验，以帮助我们测试和选择我们正在考虑在未来大规模国际现场实验中使用的几种领导配置。尽管试点研究的目的是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，但它们也具有科学研究的智力价值。我们将主要根据第二个试点研究中收集的定性数据，开发扎根理论来解释 PDT 组成和领导力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解释领导力因素提供聚合证据。 更广泛的影响和重要性：灾难响应团队通常分布在很远的地方，必须跨距离协作和协调工作。 他们是分布式团队的典型例子：一群人在共同目标的指导下执行相互依赖的任务，并使用电子通信技术跨越空间、时间和组织边界进行工作。 当危机具有国际规模时，灾难响应团队更有可能是一个全球分布的团队——一个临时的、文化多元化的、分散在国际上的、电子通信的工作组。全球分布团队的其他常见应用是软件开发项目和跨国组织的其他国际工作。全球分布式团队的一种常见配置是部分分布式团队 (PDT)，其中包括位于同一位置的子组，与其他位置的一个或多个子组一起工作，并得到计算机网络技术进步的支持。 PDT 容易出现群体内团队动态（与子群体成员的互动增加和对子群体成员的偏好行为增加；信任和团队凝聚力降低，子群体之间的冲突增加）。特定小组的成员大部分团队合作都是通过面对面的互动进行的。 共享的物理环境加上面对面协作中呈现的丰富的社交线索，可以促进凝聚力、共同身份的发展以及小组内更好的冲突管理。 然而，小组之间的小组内动态可能会威胁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 PDT 的影响（团队有效性的重要决定因素）仍有待探索。 在这项研究中，我们将进行两项试点研究，其中一项是国际范围的，为大规模的全球现场实验做准备，研究群体内的团队动态，以提高 PDT 的有效性。研究中使用的任务将涉及开发支持当地应急响应管理和恢复工作的软件需求。这项研究有以下广泛目标：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对分布式团队的有效利用。它将向本科生和研究生的大学课堂引入劳动力全球化带来的文化多样性和协作的研究问题。