Marissa L. Shuffler

Multinational and Multicultural Distributed Teams A Review and Future Agenda

Teams that span multiple geographic, temporal, and cultural boundaries have become prevalent in many industries and sectors. Researchers from multiple disciplines have begun to examine these multinational, multicultural (MNMC) distributed teams. The purpose of this article is to provide a review and critique of existing research in this area. To this end, the authors examine the ways scholars have conceptualized culture in this research, discuss the role that distribution is found to play in these teams, and provide a research agenda. The authors argue that scholars should continue to complicate their views of culture and embrace nuanced views of distribution to reflect the complexities of MNMC distributed team characteristics and processes.

Trust Development in Swift Starting Action Teams A Multilevel Framework

Swift starting action teams (STATs) are increasingly prevalent in organizations, and the development of trust is often a critical issue for their effectiveness. However, current theory and research do not provide a clear picture regarding how trust toward the team (i.e., the team as the target) is developed in these settings. The primary contribution of this article is to present a theoretical framework describing how individual-level trust toward one’s team is developed in STAT contexts. This article integrates several existing trust theories into one comprehensive context-specific multilevel theory of how trust develops in STATs from cognitive, affective, behavioral, and contextual perspectives. This framework furthers our understanding of the unique antecedents of initial trust in STATs, how trust attitudes are adjusted over the short amount of time the team interacts, and how the team context influences this developmental process.

There’s a Science for That: Team Development Interventions in Organizations

As teams have become an increasingly necessary component of organizational structure, organizations have turned to team development interventions in hopes of facilitating performance gains in their teams. However, it is critical to understand that team development interventions are not “one size fits all.” This review provides a close examination of the two most prevalent intervention approaches, team training and team building, in order to highlight their contributions to improving teams when designed according to team development science.

The Science of Multiteam Systems A Review and Future Research Agenda

Given the complexities of today’s workplace, organizations and agencies are progressively turning toward interdependent systems comprised of teams, or multiteam systems (MTSs), to accomplish multifaceted tasks in challenging environments. Subsequently, MTSs have grown in popularity in group and team research, spanning a breath of disciplines (psychology, organizational behavior, human factors, communication, and medicine). In this review, our goal is to highlight the existing research across a range of disciplines regarding MTSs that serves to answer the question, “What do we know about MTSs?” while also developing a future research agenda aimed at answering the question, “Where does our research need to go to better understand MTSs?” We specifically highlight the current trends, dynamics, and methodological issues in MTSs to further build the foundation for improving MTS effectiveness.

Pushing the Boundaries of Multiteam Systems in Research and Practice: An Introduction

Abstract Purpose As work demands have become increasingly complex, organizations and agencies are progressively turning toward larger systems comprised of teams, or multiteam systems (MTSs), to accomplish multifaceted tasks in challenging environments. Today, many organizations require these complex systems in order to achieve the dynamic goals that are required of our ever-changing world. Subsequently, MTSs have become a growing area of interest in organizational research, primarily due to their increasing prominence in organizational settings. Design In this introductory chapter, our goal is to highlight a selection of existing research regarding MTSs that serves to answer the question, “What do we know about MTSs?” while also setting up the question that serves as a recurrent theme throughout this volume, “Where does our research need to go in order to better serve MTSs in practice?” Findings While there has been a great advancement in the area of MTSs in recent years, there is still much to be explored in terms of the challenges and opportunities that MTSs afford in practice. Originality/value It is the goal of this chapter that we will set the stage for readers interested in identifying the current trends, dynamics, and issues in MTSs in the real world for the purposes of both expanding our research and theory on MTSs as well as further building the foundation for improving their development, implementation, and effectiveness “in the wild.”

Leading Distributed Teams: The Communicative Constitution of Leadership

A key aspect of leadership effectiveness across geographical distance is communication. However, researchers are only beginning to empirically explore the communicative aspects and constitution of military units and leadership in these contexts. This article highlights communicative features and processes in studies of distributed military units, particularly in those that examine leadership. We discuss aspects of military leadership that are in particular need of a communicative lens, including the communication of command intent, sensemaking, and leading across multiple cultures. We present future research directions that will further advance our understanding of the inextricable relationship between leadership and communication in distributed contexts.

Team Dynamics at 35,000 Feet

Publisher Summary This chapter aims to provide an update to Foushee and Helmreichs (1988) analysis on group interaction and flight crew performance, as much has changed in flight crew performance in the past 20 years. Furthermore, it aims to push the agenda for advancing ones understanding of aviation crews, their training, and the factors that influence their performance. Specifically, it reviews the need to address performance issues in flight crews, highlights advances in understanding flight crew performance and their training, particularly through the use of CRM, and delineates directions for future research in this area. It is hoped that with this update, the chapter paints a clear picture of the current state of the art in flight crew performance, as well as addresses the future human performance concerns for such teams.

Critical social thinking A conceptual model and insights for training

As technology, globalization, changing work demands, and a growing reliance on teams are changing the work environment, the social complexity surrounding work functions is increasing dramatically. While a variety of socially relevant knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) have been examined, we argue that studying them in isolation is no longer sufficient, as individuals require a repertoire of KSAs that must be utilized in combination to be effective in complex social situations. Thus, we propose the construct critical social thinking (CST), a holistic, integrated approach to understanding the processes that enable individuals to function in such settings, and the KSAs that are necessary for each process. Because the significance of the CST construct is closely tied to the growing need for it in practice, we also integrate disparate training findings and link them to components of our conceptual model, enabling us to put forth initial insights regarding the approaches through which CST can be trained effectively.

The future of multiteam systems: implications for research and practice

Abstract Purpose Although the practice of multiteam systems (MTSs) has been around for decades, the science of these systems has only just begun. Within the past decade and a half, although much remains to be investigated, substantial progress has been made in breaking the surface of this research. The current volume provides a review of MTS case studies and the current chapter provides a synopsis of this research. The goal of this chapter is to identify how MTSs are operating under real-world conditions in order to bridge MTS science and practice. Design/methodology/approach In this chapter, the authors provide a case analysis of the presented MTSs in the current volume in order to identify issues innate to MTSs. An approach based on the SWOT analysis technique was utilized to identify strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities of the identified MTSs. In addition, six lessons learned were extracted from a content analysis of the successes and failures of these MTSs. Findings Although MTSs may be unique to the environment in which they operate, there are several features which seem to be inherent to all. Strengths include possessing the ability to manage complex tasks and unexpected events, being flexible in nature, and integrating communication across levels. In opposition, weaknesses include the use of nontraditional communication patterns, challenges stemming from unit diversity and resources, and the lack of common training. Lessons learned from identified MTSs include (1) utilize effective communication; (2) establish shared mental models; (3) identify roles and responsibilities; (4) convey accountability and ownership; (5) consider the ramp-up period; and (6) train individuals in an MTS at multiple levels. Opportunities and threats to MTSs are also discussed in this chapter. Originality/value This chapter offers several contributions to the state of the field in regard to MTSs. The current chapter provides a detailed content analysis of several real-world MTSs. Characteristics inherent to MTSs are identified and discussed, and lessons learned are extracted. Traditionally, science and practice has focused on the presentation of lab-based MTSs; the current volume breaks new ground by identifying how MTSs operate “in the wild.” This chapter provides a summation of this volume and offers lessons learned for MTS researchers and those working within MTSs.

The Design, Delivery and Evaluation of Crew Resource Management Training

Publisher Summary Crew Resource Management (CRM) is viewed as a critical training component for teams and crews in high-reliability organizations. The sheer complexity of a comprehensive CRM training evaluation can be daunting to many organizations. This chapter aims to ease this complexity and provide a more uniform approach to CRM training evaluation through the presentation of a framework and practical guidelines that can be applied across organizations and industries. It outlines the purpose of training evaluation as it applies to CRM, then reviews current practices in CRM training evaluation, highlighting challenges and limitations in current evaluation techniques. The study provides a discussion of future directions needed to improve CRM evaluation, built around their framework for CRM training design, delivery, evaluation, and incorporating a set of practical guidelines that is necessary for an effective CRM training evaluation. It is hoped that this approach will promote both advances in improving the science of training design, delivery, and evaluation for CRM, as well as provide a foundation for practitioners to develop assessment strategies that are scientifically sound and functional in the real world.