Interpersonal Dynamics and Cognitive Processes Associated with Innovation in Multidisciplinary Engineering Teams

University Of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Abstract

This research advances understanding about how the processes of conflict resolution and expression can lead to innovation in science and engineering. Much innovation is due to bringing together multidisciplinary teams to solve complex cross-disciplinary problems; such teams are thought to be able to generate more novel solutions than single disciplinary teams. However, such teams are plagued by problems in communication and coordination. This research examines how particular patterns of conflict resolution and expression can be associated with eventual engineering team innovation success. Intellectual Merit: The project integrates three very different literatures: social psychological studies of team conflict and cohesion; cognitive psychological research on analogy, mental simulation, and uncertainty; and the literature on long-term marital success to determine what interaction patterns surrounding conflict result in successful versus unsuccessful long-term relationships. Prior research has typically studied these variables in isolation. To know how to intervene to increase engineering output in long-term, multidisciplinary teams, the relationships between these must be understood. The project examines a large existing audio-video dataset collected from 48 undergraduate multidisciplinary engineering teams, whose eventual products ranged from poor to competent to innovative. This project has several merits: the integration of different literatures to better understand team processes, external validity in teams engaged in multidisciplinary engineering design, different teams with a variety of outcomes, and detailed, observable process data unpacking the ?black box? of innovation. Broader Impacts. The US is facing serious challenges in the fields of science and technology and with the current economy. Multidisciplinary teams are vital to solving complex national problems but often fail to live up to their promise. Innovation must be harnessed to create employment opportunities, generate novel products, and spur long-term economic growth. The flourishing of science and engineering teams should be examined with the same rigor as other important human endeavors. This project also has implications for engineering education. As specific, observable warning signs for later innovation or failure to innovate are discovered, suggestions for pedagogy can be formulated based on empirical findings.