Interpersonal Dynamics and Cognitive Processes Associated with Innovation in Multidisciplinary Engineering Teams

与多学科工程团队创新相关的人际动态和认知过程

• 批准号: 1064083
• 负责人: Susannah Paletz
• 金额: $ 19.93万
• 依托单位: University of Pittsburgh
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-07-01 至 2013-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1064083&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Interpersonal; Dynamics; Cognitive; Processes; Associated

This research advances understanding about how the processes of conflict resolution and expression can lead to innovation in science and engineering. Much innovation is due to bringing together multidisciplinary teams to solve complex cross-disciplinary problems; such teams are thought to be able to generate more novel solutions than single disciplinary teams. However, such teams are plagued by problems in communication and coordination. This research examines how particular patterns of conflict resolution and expression can be associated with eventual engineering team innovation success. Intellectual Merit: The project integrates three very different literatures: social psychological studies of team conflict and cohesion; cognitive psychological research on analogy, mental simulation, and uncertainty; and the literature on long-term marital success to determine what interaction patterns surrounding conflict result in successful versus unsuccessful long-term relationships. Prior research has typically studied these variables in isolation. To know how to intervene to increase engineering output in long-term, multidisciplinary teams, the relationships between these must be understood. The project examines a large existing audio-video dataset collected from 48 undergraduate multidisciplinary engineering teams, whose eventual products ranged from poor to competent to innovative. This project has several merits: the integration of different literatures to better understand team processes, external validity in teams engaged in multidisciplinary engineering design, different teams with a variety of outcomes, and detailed, observable process data unpacking the ?black box? of innovation.Broader Impacts. The US is facing serious challenges in the fields of science and technology and with the current economy. Multidisciplinary teams are vital to solving complex national problems but often fail to live up to their promise. Innovation must be harnessed to create employment opportunities, generate novel products, and spur long-term economic growth. The flourishing of science and engineering teams should be examined with the same rigor as other important human endeavors. This project also has implications for engineering education. As specific, observable warning signs for later innovation or failure to innovate are discovered, suggestions for pedagogy can be formulated based on empirical findings.

这项研究推进了对冲突解决和表达过程如何导致科学和工程创新的理解。 许多创新是由于将多学科团队聚集在一起来解决复杂的跨学科问题;这样的团队被认为能够产生比单一学科团队更多的新颖解决方案。然而，这些团队在沟通和协调方面存在问题。本研究探讨如何特定模式的冲突解决和表达可以与最终的工程团队创新的成功。智力优势：该项目整合了三个非常不同的文献：团队冲突和凝聚力的社会心理学研究;类比，心理模拟和不确定性的认知心理学研究;以及关于长期婚姻成功的文献，以确定围绕冲突的互动模式导致成功与不成功的长期关系。以前的研究通常孤立地研究这些变量。要知道如何干预以增加长期的多学科团队的工程输出，必须了解这些之间的关系。该项目研究了从48个本科多学科工程团队收集的大量现有音频视频数据集，这些团队的最终产品从差到有能力再到创新。这个项目有几个优点：不同的文献，以更好地了解团队的过程，外部效度在团队从事多学科工程设计，不同的团队有各种各样的结果，和详细的，可观察到的过程数据解包？黑盒？更广泛的影响。美国在科技领域和当前经济形势下面临严峻挑战。多学科团队对于解决复杂的国家问题至关重要，但往往无法兑现承诺。必须利用创新来创造就业机会，生产新产品，并刺激长期经济增长。科学和工程团队的蓬勃发展应该像其他重要的人类努力一样严格审查。该项目也对工程教育产生了影响。作为具体的，可观察到的警告信号，为后来的创新或创新失败的发现，建议的教学方法可以制定的基础上，实证研究结果。