Team cognition: Development and evolution in software project teams

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: He, Jun; Butler, Brian S.; King, William R.
• 署名单位: University of Michigan System; University of Michigan; Pennsylvania Commonwealth System of Higher Education (PCSHE); University of Pittsburgh
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0742-1222
• DOI: 10.2753/MIS0742-1222240210
• 发表日期: 2007
• 页码: 261-292
• 关键词: SHARED MENTAL MODELS; TRANSACTIVE MEMORY; MEMBER FAMILIARITY; performance; INFORMATION; COMMUNICATION; demography; KNOWLEDGE; benefits; interdependence

摘要

In software development, team-based work structures are commonly used to accomplish complex projects. Software project teams must be able to utilize the expertise and knowledge of participants without overwhelming individual members. To efficiently leverage individuals' knowledge and expertise, software project teams develop team cognition structures that facilitate their knowledge activities. This study focuses on the emergence and evolution of team cognition in software project teams, and examines how communication activity and team diversity impact the formation of these structures. A longitudinal study was conducted of 51 database development teams. The results suggest that some forms of communication and team diversity affect the formation of team cognition. Frequency of meetings and phone calls were positively related to the formation of team cognition, while e-mail use had no effect. Gender diversity had a strong and positive effect on the development of team cognition and the effect remained stable over time. Implications for the practical potential and limitations of purposive team construction as a strategy for improving software development team performance are discussed.