Team optimisation

Abstract

RESEARCH QUESTIONS:

● What barriers to giving and receiving feedback in team situations exist?

● To what extent can information technology-mediated peer feedback processes overcome the barriers and improve the effectiveness of team wellbeing and development?

● How can information technology-mediated peer feedback processes be designed and utilised productively to mitigate extreme team member behaviours, such as social loafing, self-seeking, domination and leaderlessness?

● What is the extent of a commercial market for an advanced information technology app and related support services that responds to the needs identified in the foregoing questions?

INTRODUCTION: In today’s fast paced environment organizations move away from a traditional hierarchical structure and incline toward a team-based structure. A recent study indicates team interactions and communications have increased by 50% over the last two decades, which for many companies, means more than three-quarters of an employee’s day (Cross, Rebele, & Grant, 2016). Global trends are also changing the face of teams with the rise of new forms of teams such as Virtual, Cross-functional, Fluid, and Swift starting action teams (STATs). The complexity of the new forms of teams warrant further consideration into the effective management of these teams in order to achieve maximum efficiency.

The aim of the research is to improve the effectiveness of feedback giving and receiving within teams to improve both team wellbeing and performance by using information technology-mediated peer feedback processes. The proposed process will be adapted from a process called “peer assess pro” which is currently used in the education sector. There are over 65 educators worldwide who use the Peer Assess Pro tool as part of their Team-Based Learning pedagogy or as a method to determine individual scores from team-based assessments. The current tool provides a platform to explore further, how feedback can be used in work-based teams.