Melanie Ashleigh

The Effects of Team-Skills Training on Transactive Memory and Performance:

The existence of effective transactive memory systems in teams has been found to enhance task performance. Methods of developing transactive memory are therefore an important focus of research. This study aimed to explore one such method, the use of a generic team-skills training program to develop transactive memory and subsequent task performance. Sixteen three-member teams were all trained to complete a complex collaborative task, prior to which half the teams (n = 8) completed a team-skills training program. Results confirmed that those teams that had been trained to develop a range of team skills such as problem-solving, interpersonal relationships, goal setting, and role allocation evidenced significantly higher team skill, transactive memory, and performance than those that were not trained in such skills. Results are discussed with reference to the wider transactive memory literature and the mechanisms through which team-skills training could facilitate the more rapid development of transactive memory.

Trust and technologies: Implications for organizational work practices

In this paper, we empirically investigate the concept of trust across organizational work practices by examining three groups: within the team, between teams and when interacting with technology. This study adopts Repertory Grid methodology as an interview based technique to elicit important constructs of trust to engineering teams working in two organizations within the energy distribution industry. Thirteen key constructs of trust were identified using content analysis. Drawing on the understanding gained, this paper discusses the implications for theories on trust within teams working with technology across organizations and provides a grounded perspective that could be used as a basis for further research.

Testing Hollnagel's Contextual Control Model: Assessing Team Behavior in a Human Supervisory Control Task

This article sets out to test the hypothetical COtext and COntrol Model (COCOM) developed by Hollnagel (1993). Essentially, Hollnagel develops the argument that team behavior should be analyzed at a macro, rather than micro, level. He proposes 4 principal models of team activity: strategic, tactical, opportunistic, and scrambled. These modes of team behavior vary in terms of the degree of forward planning (highest in the strategic mode) and reactivity to the environment (highest in the scrambled mode). He further hypothesizes a linear progression through the modes from strategic to tactical to opportunistic to scrambled, depending on context, and vice versa. To test the COCOM model, we placed teams of people in a simulated energy distribution system. Our results confirm Hollnagels hypothesized model in 2 main ways. First, we show that the team behavior could be categorized reliably into the 4 control modes and this provided a useful way of distinguishing between experimental conditions. Second, the progr...

Knowledge sharing and team trustworthiness: it's all about social ties!

This paper empirically examines knowledge sharing within innovation teams and explores the relationship between knowledge sharing and trust. This relationship has generally been identified in the literature as an important aspect of knowledge management. However, its pertinence to knowledge transfer within and between teams is less obvious. The case study based on four information technology R&D teams in Taiwan suggests that trust between a knowledge holder and a receiver may not exist. In fact, it can be connected by a mediator, although the use of social relationship in which trust is rooted in both host and visitors trust of the mediator. Thus, trust may be substituted by the social relationship in certain specific contexts.

A new propensity to trust scale and its relationship with individual well‐being: implications for HRM policies and practices

In the on-going debate around HRM and performance there is an argument that greater attention should be paid to understanding the role that employee attitudes, attributes and behaviours play. Emerging research suggests that trust and well-being are two aspects that could contribute to this debate. Research has shown some relationships between trust and well-being. However, this has tended to omit consideration of an individual’s propensity to trust due to lack of suitable measures. This paper explores the relationships between propensity to trust and well-being by means of a study of 458 managers using a newly developed instrument to assess propensity and established well-being scales. Analyses of the results demonstrated a reliable measure of propensity and a range of positive relationships. The potential implications for HR policies and practices of a measure of propensity are discussed. In particular application in the areas of selection and development are highlighted.

An Integrative Model of the Role of Trust in Transactive Memory Development

This article extends transactive memory (TM) theory as it is currently conceptualized. We propose a new integrative model of the relationship between transactive memory system (TMS) development and trust. By using the TM encoding cycle, the model proposes that trust acts as an antecedent of TMSs and that wider perceptions of team members’ trustworthiness (benevolence and integrity) also affect the development and maintenance of effective TMSs in teams. Our conceptualization considers the effect of trust on both the knowledge structure and the transactive processes involved in TMSs. From our analysis, we provide a number of propositions and hypotheses relating to different stages of TMS development to be pursued by future research. Finally, we consider the managerial implications of our model.

Trust: Key Elements in Human Supervisory Control Domains

Abstract: This study aimed to investigate the concept of trust within human supervisory control domains. Using repertory grid methodology, a small homogeneous sample of control engineers from two individual companies within the energy distribution industry were found to share a commonality in what they considered to be important characteristics of trust across three groups: intra-team, inter-team and technology. Sixty constructs were elicited which were reduced to 13 core constructs using content analysis. These were categorised into three separate dimensions; emotive, cognitive and behavioural. Differences were found, both within and between the three groups, according to participants’ scored level of trust for each group. These results are discussed with a view to developing strategies that may enhance trusting behaviours, especially between teams in applied controlled settings.

Levels of abstraction in human supervisory control teams

Purpose – This paper aims to report a study into the levels of abstraction hierarchy (LOAH) in two energy distribution teams. The original proposition for the LOAH was that it depicted five levels of system representation, working from functional purpose through to physical form to determine causes of a malfunction, or from physical form to functional purpose to determine the purpose of system function. The LOAH has been widely used throughout human supervisory control research to explain individual behaviour. The research seeks to focus on the application the LOAH to human supervisory control teams in semi‐automated “intelligent” systems.Design/methodology/approach – A series of interviews were conducted in two energy distribution companies.Findings – The results of the study suggest that people in the teams are predominantly operating at different levels of system representation, depending on their role. Managerial personnel work at functional purpose and abstract function levels, whereas operational pe...

An analysis of interrelationships between project management and student‐experience constructs

This article seeks to explore, through the utilization of correlational analysis, how the parameters that impact the student experience may be interrelated. We found that the experiences of students studying project management appear to be heavily influenced by e-resource provisions and the actual experiences that the students are subjected to when using virtual learning environments (VLEs). These findings support previous research acknowledging that information and communications technology (ICT) plays an important role in teaching and learning project management. Students’ experience of interpersonal skills also correlated uniquely and significantly with other constructs, supporting the premise that learning is integral to the development of interpersonal skills. Discussion surrounds the interdependency of student experiences adding to their learning and how future research should consider larger and more diverse samples to establish exactly what constructs detract and/or add to their learning in project management, which could then contribute to pedagogical discourse in other disciplines.

Enhancing trust through training

INTRODUCTION The past decade has seen a considerable expansion in research that has looked at team training, addressing a range of questions about how to design training; how to implement it; and its impact on both team processes and performance. Despite this expansion, to date there has been relatively little attention given to the relationship between team training and the development of trust within teams. This is surprising as training and development professionals working in organizations regard trust as one of the most important skills that should be developed within teams due to its positive effects on team performance, organizational productivity and competitive advantage (Davis et al., 2000; McEvily et al., 2003; Rosen et al., 2006). It would therefore seem advantageous within a human resource (HR) context to implement training programmes that promote trust between team members in order to benefit the organization. Furthermore, it may be particularly beneficial for certain types of teams; for example, in virtual teams where lack of face- to- face contact limits trust development, and in culturally diverse teams where differences in cultural norms may reduce trust in others. To extend understanding in this area, this chapter considers the research on both the use of training to develop trust among team members and its efficacy. We highlight research on two distinct approaches to training – team- and task- skills training – considering their effectiveness and applicability to different contexts, as well as issues for future research. We begin by defining trust within a training context and consider the processes through which trust may develop in training.