Establishing team knowledge coordination from a learning perspective

In interprofessional (IP) workplace education, course and project leaders need a deeper understanding of how students learn. Basically, in IP workplace learning students learn from each other, from the affected agents (patients, clients, children, youth, or elderly), from the staff, and from using multitudes of artifacts. Most of these interpersonal processes are largely tacit, and we therefor decided on elucidating their possible parts in IP learning theoretically, focusing on central interpersonal aspects of team learning processes; team reflexivity and intersubjectivity. Consequently, our study aim was to elucidate possible associations between team reflexivity and the shared mind when students in the IP team interact within each other, with the people and with the artifacts around them. In this article we investigate, elaborate, and conceptualize relevant social theories which address aspects of team reflexivity and intersubjective activities. We will then elaborate and conceptualize consequences for increased understanding IP team learning. Based on our mutual libraries, we have searched in PubMed and Google Scholar for team reflexivity, intersubjectivity, shared mind and their combinations. We came to understand reflexivity and team reflexivity as mostly tacit activities which may be regarded as being interpersonal and self-pacing. Intersubjectivity is however based on the free interaction between minds, orchestrating each other with common ideas, thoughts, attitudes, and bodily actions. Intersubjectivity is created when team members’ verbal and non-verbal activities resonate, giving a shared feeling of developing mutual and common ideas, concepts, and understanding. Team reflexivity, and intersubjectivity are necessary aspects in understanding the learning processes in IP student teams, and we have sketched some consequences for IP course design.

This study examined interdisciplinary vocational educator teams to identify differences in their team learning behaviours and examined whether their team affective reactions could explain these differences. We used a mixed-methods approach comprising a survey of 117 interdisciplinary work teams with 604 members and a qualitative analysis of our observations of the meetings of six of these teams. The team-level cluster analysis to identify differences in team learning behaviours revealed three clusters that differed significantly (p = .00) regarding nearly all team learning behaviours. We named these clusters according to their patterns in team learning behaviours: ‘very active all-round teams’, ‘active all-round teams’ and ‘active teams with high knowledge sharing’. These differences in team learning behaviours could be explained by significant differences in team affective reactions (p < .05). Each cluster was represented by two teams whose team meetings (five per team) were audio- and videotaped. The overall findings of this study indicate that team affective reactions are related to team learning behaviours. The results of the qualitative analysis of the observation data provide additional information that not only positive but also negative team affective reactions can stimulate the engagement in team learning behaviours.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of team learning processes (information acquisition, information processing and information storage and retrieval) on team performance in software development projects and to assess the effect of ethical leadership and its influence on these processes. Design/methodology/approach The authors examined 354 software development project teams in Thailand. A quantitative study was conducted through a Web-based survey, with structural equation modelling used to test the hypotheses. Findings The results of this study revealed that ethical leadership is positively correlated with the team learning processes of information acquisition, information processing and information storage and retrieval. However, only information processing and information storage and retrieval are positively related to team performance. The results indicate that ethical leadership has a positive direct effect on team performance. The results also show that the positive relationship between ethical leadership and team performance is partially mediated by team learning processes, namely, information processing and information storage and retrieval. Research limitations/implications This study highlights the importance of ethical leadership and guides managers towards considering the characteristics of both ethical leadership and team learning processes for enhancing team performance in software development projects. Originality/value This is the first study to the best of authors’ knowledge to examine the role of team learning processes in mediating the relationship between ethical leadership and team performance, particularly concerning software development projects. The present research contributes to the literature on team performance management, emphasising the manner in which ethical leadership can result in team learning and team performance. The findings of this study can be used to encourage organisations to develop ethical leadership behaviours and team learning processes in software development projects.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of the enabling performance measurement systems (PMS) on non-managerial employees’ team learning behaviours (TLB) and team effectiveness (TE) when the PMS is used as an enabler. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire survey was conducted with non-managerial employees in Japan and a total sample of 474 responses were collected. Partial least squares structural equation modelling using Smart-PLS was used for the analysis. Findings The results demonstrated that the design feature of global transparency in enabling PMS contributes to the enhancement of TE, with partial mediation through TLB. Furthermore, it was also evident that fostering TLB involves increasing the flexibility in PMS, specifically offering multiple options for collecting and aggregating performance information in various formats. Originality/value By examining the effects of the four features of enabling controls on TE and TLB, this study shows which features in an enabling PMS are important in motivating non-managerial employees at the operational level. The study not only fills a gap on the impact of enabling controls on non-managerial employees that has been under-researched but also makes an academic contribution in that it has deepened our understanding of four features that have not yet been fully elucidated.

This chapter offers a relatively detailed framework for guiding much-needed research on team learning processes in schools. In the context of such an school-based management model, the chances seem theoretically better that the efforts of participants will actually foster the individual and collective learning needed to improve the quality of instruction in the school. For the concept of team learning to be viable, it is useful to have a concept of a team mind which is doing the learning. Collective learning develops from the actions of individuals as those individuals begin to act in ways heedful of the "imagined requirements of joint action". Conceptualizing team learning as processes of mutual adaptation appears to minimize the likelihood of significant learning, variously referred to as double-loop, higher-level, and turnaround. Premised on the orientations to collective mind and collective learning, the specific framework for guiding inquiry on team learning processes is a substantial adaptation of C.P. Neck and C.C. Manz.

This article investigates when and how teams engage in team learning behaviours (TLB). More specifically, it looks into how different leadership styles facilitate TLB by influencing the social conditions that proceed them. 498 healthcare workers from 28 nursery teams filled out a questionnaire measuring the concepts leadership style, TLB, social cohesion and team psychological safety. Analysis was performed using structural equation modelling. The results of this cross-sectional study show that transformational leadership predicts TLB better then laissez-faire leadership, because transformational leadership is primarily related to team psychological safety and only secondarily to social cohesion while for laissez-faire leadership it works the other way around. Transformational leadership matters because it facilitates psychological safety in the team.

The use of virtual reality (VR) for flight simulation, particularly in the earliest stages of pilot training, is gaining attention in both research and industry. The use of the technology for this ab initio training requires suitable consideration of the risks of simulator sickness—risks that are heightened relative to conventional simulators. If simulator sickness results in the development of compensatory skills, or otherwise disrupts the training process, the benefits of the technology may be negated. Enabling the effective integration of VR within flight training requires that, to the extent that simulator sickness is an issue, practical mechanisms are developed to manage the occurrence without disrupting existing training structures. The primary objective of this research is, thus, to evaluate an intervention and a nuisance factor in relation to the reduction of simulator sickness, considering their practicality within existing flight training syllabi. The Total Severity (TS) of the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ) was evaluated within a quasi-experimental, non-equivalent pre-test–post-test design, incorporating three groups: a prior flight experience nuisance factor group, a prior personal computer aviation training device (PCATD) exposure intervention group, and a control group with neither prior experience nor prior simulator exposure. The results indicated that the TS was significantly reduced for the prior flight experience nuisance factor (rrb = 0.375), but that the PCATD exposure intervention produced no such reduction (rrb = 0.016). The findings suggest that VR flight simulation is likely best used as a supplemental tool, introduced after initial airborne experience. Notwithstanding this finding, the relatively low median TS scores (&lt;20) for all groups suggest that the technology may still be used with caution earlier in the training process. No other published research has examined this important effect in the context of the new VR situation.

Currently, teams require adaptation to deal with work demands successfully. However, research concerning team adaptation should necessarily involve a greater empirical effort in defining under which conditions teams prove more adaptable. This article seeks to contribute to the literature by linking plan formulation, plan execution, and team learning behaviors with team outcomes (i.e., team-adaptation perception and objective performance). Participants formed 142 teams, which were involved in structured-problem solving task (i.e. a simulated management competition). Conditional process analysis was used to test a double-mediated relationship. Results show that, although not all parts of the model are directly associated, there is an indirect link from plan formulation to team outcomes through plan execution and team learning behaviors. Our results support the idea of adaptation as a process, providing four ways in which organizations can elicit changes in teams: increasing plan execution, promoting team learning, improving team adaptive behaviors themselves, and building teams composed of members who demonstrate individual adaptability.

In contemporary higher education settings, fostering collaboration among students is paramount. However, integrating teamwork into learning processes can pose challenges, such as the ‘free-rider syndrome’, in the development of student team projects. Additionally, divergent opinions on task goals and methods, escalating interpersonal tensions, and power struggles can hinder effective teamwork. Unlike much of the existing conflict research that predominantly focuses on conflict resolution, this study underscores the necessity of comprehending conflict's impact and mechanisms, premised on its inherent inevitability. Specifically, our aim is to investigate the relationships between contribution conflict (a process conflict type) and team performance with psychological safety and exploring different perspectives (a team learning behavior) as explanatory mechanisms. A time-lagged design was employed, collecting data from a sample of 1002 Romanian students, organized into 199 teams. Results reveal a significant and negative indirect effect of the contribution conflict on team performance. Psychological safety significantly mediates the effects of contribution conflict on team performance, facilitating the engagement in exploring different perspectives. Interestingly, the exploration of diverse perspectives did not significantly enhance team performance, underscoring the complexity of the link between team learning behaviors and performance outcomes. This research offers empirical evidence supporting theories that posit a secure and respectful team environment is crucial for cultivating productive team interactions and outcomes, even in the face of inevitable conflict. Recognizing the importance of constructively approaching differences is essential in fostering positive team dynamics among students.

Despite a plethora of studies purporting that learning could occur at the individual, team and organizational levels, there is still a lack of reported empirical evidence on these linkages. Accordingly, these theoretical assumptions will be tested with empirical evidences in this study. Interestingly and contrary to the literature, individual learning was not significantly related to organizational learning. Internal team learning (learning within teams) was partially related to organizational learning, and external team learning (cross‐functional team learning) was significantly related to organizational learning. Organizational learning was conceptualized and tested as a three‐factor variable that consists of commitment to learning, shared vision, and open‐mindedness. A discussion of the results is provided.

Purpose The purpose of this paper was to evaluate if the concept of team psychological safety, a key driver of team learning and originally studied in the West, can be applied in teams from different national cultures. The model originally validated for teams in the West is applied to teams in Thailand to evaluate its validity, and the views team members have on the antecedents of team psychological safety are analyzed. Design/methodology/approach The core of the sequential explanatory mixed method research was an experiment with nine teams from a single engineering organization (three teams from each the USA, France and Thailand). Team learning behaviors were analyzed from the conversations between team members. Team psychological safety was analyzed through a quantitative instrument and one-on-one structured interviews with each team member. Findings The results showed that the original model is confirmed for the teams from the USA and France but not confirmed for teams from Thailand. The thematic analysis of the one-on-one interviews highlights important differences between teams from the USA and France on the one hand and teams from Thailand on the other hand when it comes to the role of the team manager and the views that team members have on the diversity between them. Originality/value This research confirms that the concept of team psychological safety, and its impact on the way teams learn, needs to be adjusted if it is to be applied to teams in countries with national cultures different from those prevalent in the West. The implications are that researchers who develop theories in the social sciences field should evaluate how cultural differences impact their models, and that managers who implement learning and solutions should take national cultural differences into consideration.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore what contributes to egalitarian teams and facilitates for team learning in professional service teams. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative case study, including 41 in-depth interviews (n = 18) of professional service team members and managers in one of Nordics largest professional service companies was conducted. Findings This study reveals how acknowledgement of generational differences and humour can facilitate egalitarianism and psychological safety for members of professional service teams. This in turn relates to team learning processes and behaviours. Humour creates a “safe space” between team members representing different areas of the novice–expert continuum for idea generation and knowledge sharing. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first to contribute with insight on experiences and expectations of humour as an enabling mechanism for egalitarianism and team learning in professional service teams. The findings provide professional service firms with valuable and tangible insights, which could serve as a basis for designing learning and training practices.

Team learning is not a well researched or examined phenomenon. This paper describes a team learning model that grew out of case study research in one company. The model is derived in part by drawing on the literatures of both group dynamics and adult learning. Team learning processes and phases are described and illustrated. The paper concludes with implications for adult educators who work with teams in organisations.

The aim of this study is to analyse diversity in team learning behaviour between and among national respondents’ perceptions during a military staff exercise (CJSE). Edmondson’s team learning behaviour model is used as the theoretical basis of the study. The results showed statistically significant differences both between and among national respondents’ perceptions. The research results indicate that team leader coaching, team psychological safety, the importance of obtaining expert knowledge as well as pre-exercise training are perceived to be crucial for team learning behaviour. The study has theoretical and practical implications for a more nuanced understanding of the diversity of team learning behaviour in the context of a multinational military teamwork exercise and for working as a part of multinational temporal teams in particular.

In sport science literature, referring to the Input-Process-Outcome (IPO) model, few studies demonstrated links between team training and team learning despites several calls for empirical studies. Thus, this study aimed at exploring systemically the building process of the interpersonal coordination by focusing on (1) a specific antecedent (i.e., video feedback during practice), (2) the influence of this antecedent on the team learning process, and (3) outcomes from this process as shared cognitive contents. Thus, this study was original by examining empirically the IPO model in a sport-training context. Our study showed that Input influenced the specific learning Process during practice (five processes) and video feedback sessions (five processes) and produced Outcomes (six typical shared cognitive contents). Finally, results are discussed in relation to team learning processes theoretically identified in the literature and an IPO soccer model adapted to team learning in a soccer context is proposed.