Human factors and ergonomics specialists need to work in teams. This article highlights various benefits and potential problems of groups and teams. The main focus is on ways to successfully implement student teams in the classroom. Key elements include: centralizing the organization structure with the faculty member in charge, determining group composition, defining group goals and roles, establishing an appropriate reinforcement structure (i.e, the grading system), and dealing with conflict. References for more in-depth team building guidelines are provided.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BassB. M. (1962). The orientation inventory.Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologist Press
2.
BeardR. L.SalasE.PrinceC. (1995). Enhancing transfer of training: Using role-play to foster teamwork in the cockpit. International Journal of Aviation Psychology, 5, 131–143
3.
BellamyL.EvansD. L.LinderD. E.McNeilB. W.RauppG. (1994, March). Teams in Engineering Education.Arizona State University, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences
4.
BolmanL. G.DealT. E. (1992). What makes a team work?Organizational Dynamics, 21, 34–44
5.
BossR. W. (1991). Team building in health care. Journal of Management Development, 10, 38–44
6.
CarterL. F. (1954). Evaluating the performance of individuals as members of small groups. Personnel Psychology, 7, 477–484
7.
DriskellJ. E.SalasE. (1992). Collective behavior and team performance. Human Factors, 34, 277–288
8.
FarivarS. H.WebbN. M. (1994). Are your students prepared for group work?Middle School Journal, 25 (3), 51–54
9.
GreenbergJ.BaronR. A. (1995). Behavior in organizations: Understanding and managing the human side of work (5th Ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall
10.
GuionR. M. (1983). Recruiting, selection, and job placement. In DunnetteM. D. (Ed.), Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, New York: John Wiley and Sons (pp.777–828)
11.
HarkinsS. G.PettyR. E. (1982). Effects of task difficulty and task uniqueness on social loafing. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 43, 1214–1229
12.
HinrichsJ. R. (1983). Personnel Training. In DunnetteM. D. (Ed.), Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, New York: John Wiley and Sons (pp.829–860)
13.
KaiserJ. (1995, October). A business blueprint: How to build a better Ph.D. Science, 270, 133–134
14.
KankiB. G.FousheeH. C. (1989). Communication as group process mediator of aircrew performance. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, 60, 402–410
15.
LabarG. (1995). What makes ergonomic teams work?Occupational Hazards, 57, 83–85
16.
LaikenM. E. (1994). The myth of the self-managing team. Organization Development Journal, 12 (2), 29–34
17.
LataneB.WilliamsK.HarkinsS. (1979). Many hands make light the work: The causes and consequences of social loafing. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37, 822–832
18.
MaplesM. F. (1988). Group development: Extending Tuckman's theory. Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 13, 17–23
19.
MayD. R.SchwoererC. E. (1994a). Employee health by design: Using employee involvement teams in ergonomic job redesign. Personnel Psychology, 47, 861–876
20.
MayD. R.SchwoererC. E. (1994b). Developing effective work teams: Guidelines for fostering work team efficacy. Organization Development Journal, 12 (3), 29–39
21.
McClintockC. G.AllisonS. T. (1989). Social value orientation and helping behavior. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 19, 353–362
22.
McHaleJ. (1995). Unusual videos look a the nitty-gritty of building teams. People Management, 1, 53
23.
MearsP.VoehlF. (1994a). Team building: A structured learning approach.Delray Beach, FL: St. Lucie Press
24.
MearsP.VoehlF. (1994b). Team building: A structured learning approach. Instructor's manual.Delray Beach, FL: St. Lucie Press
25.
MischelL. J. (1996, April). Determinants of collective efficacy: The roles of group task and members KSAs. Paper presented at the 11th Annual Conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, San Diego, CA
26.
O'NeilM. J.JacksonL. (1983). Nominal group technique: A process for initiating curriculum development in higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 8, 129–138
27.
OrpenC. (1986). Improving organizations through team development. Management and Labour Studies, 11, 1–12
28.
RankinJ. L.AksamitD. L. (1994). Perceptions of elementary, junior high, and high school student assistant team coordinators, team members, and teachers. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 5, 229–256
29.
ReisteK. K.HubrichA. (1995). How to implement successful work teams: Learning from the Frigidaire experience. National Productivity Review, 14, 45–55
30.
ReisteK. K.HubrichA. (1996). Work team implementation. Hospital Material Management Quarterly, 17, 47–53
31.
ScearceC. (1992). 100 ways to build teams.Palatine, IL: Skylight Publishing
32.
ShapiroR. G.BeithB.GoldbergJ. H.HaleJ.KellyJ. F. (1994). I'm graduating, now what? A comparison of work in academics, consulting, government, industrial research, and industrial development. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 38th Annual Meeting, 394–398
33.
StandleyJ. (1993). To become a team. Campus Activities Programming, 26 (6) 32–36
34.
ThomasG. (1991). Defining role in the new classroom teams. Educational Research, 33 (3), 186–198
35.
Van CottH. H.HueyB. M (1992). Human factors specialists' education and utilization: Results of a study.Washington, DC: National Academy Press
36.
WatsonW.MichaelsonL. K.SharpW. (1991). Member competence, group interaction, and group decision making: A longitudinal study. Journal of Applied Psychology, 76, 803–809
37.
WilliamsK.HarkinsS.LataneB. (1981). Identifiability as a deterrent to social loafing: Two cheering experiments. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 40, 303–311
