Structure-Specific Teamwork
“Evidence of Structure-Specific Teamwork Requirements and Implications for Team Design“, by Daniel Lafond and Marie-Eve Jobidon, both of Defence R&D Canada-Valcartier, Québec, Caroline Aubé of HEC Montréal, Québec, and Sébastien Tremblay of Laval University, Québec, was recently published in Small Group Research OnlineFirst. Dr. Lafond has provided an additional perspective on the article:
Who is the target audience for this article?
Researchers in cognitive, organizational and social psychology; Human factors specialists; Decision makers and personnel in the military, healthcare, emergency response, and public safety domains.
What inspired you to be interested in this topic?
The considerable potential for knowledge transfer from basic research to applied issues in relation to human performance.
Were there findings that were surprising to you?
The main findings challenged a predominant assumption that key determinants of team performance are the same across all contexts.
How do you see this study influencing future research and/or practice?
Contribute to the development of team design methods and stimulate further research on how team structures influence teamwork requirements.
How does this study fit into your body of work/line of research?
Human cognition and performance: From individuals to teams.
How did your paper change during the review process?
Significant improvements to the conceptual background, theoretical discussion and analyses.
What, if anything, would you do differently if you could go back and do this study again?
We would not change anything in particular, but we will certainly pursue the investigation of determinants of team performance and how these factors are modulated by context of work and organizational structure of teams (e.g., by studying a wider set of team structures).
