Holistic Analysis and Design of Team and Group Work
Well-functioning teams with scope for decision-making are seen as having numerous potentials: They are considered to be particularly flexible and responsive, provide the social framework for trusting and effective communication and cooperation, and open up opportunities for joint learning and innovation processes. Although team and group work are established forms of work organization in many companies, the potentials are often not exploited. Our research is directed at identifying the factors and conditions that promote the success and effectiveness of cooperative work. Our previous studies have already shown that the key drivers vary depending on the context (e.g., production or innovation work). With the goal of deriving practice-oriented design recommendations, we not only examine real and virtual team structures and processes in different work settings, but also have a look at the leadership and support systems necessary for team success.