Research in Engineering Education Symposium 2011 - rees2009

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) Página 341 de 957
The combination supports the team as it weeds out the less desirable options in order to
allocate time and resources toward those options with the best chances of success. An
effective technical assessment evolves from a leadership system that engages people and
information in the formulation and solution of design issues (Rudd and Watson, 1968;
Douglas, 1988). Implementation relies on a management system that enables the team to
operate effectively (Pahl and Beitz, 1996; Ullman, 1997).
Benne and Sheats (1948) promote successful team performance based on a balance of
networking and task functions. Although scholars differ about phases (Tuckman, 1965)
that teams go through during decision-making processes, they agree that these two
functional responsibilities are critical for successful team performance (Bales, 1950; Bales
& Strodtbeck, 1951; Bennis & Shepard, 1956; Pfeiffer and Jones, 1979). Networking
functions target the leadership system required to effectively engage others in innovation.
Task functions address the management system required to efficiently get work done. As
observed by Applbaum (1992), Jones and Bearley (1994) and Jones (1999); the balance
leads to successful problems solving. Knecht and Gale (2005) report that student teams
require the entire semester (life of the project) to achieve this balance.
The balance creates a team centered environment recognizing the contributions of all
members. MacPhail, Roloff, and Edmondson (2009) propose that effective collaboration
emerges when team members understand, value, and integrate contributions of other
team members with their own. Lovelace, Shapiro, and Weingart (2001) observe that
collaborative communications encourages the freedom to express concerns about
innovation. According to Clark (2001), the lead offers constructive feedback concerning
team’s performance. Reh (2010) observes that a manager creates an environment to
communicate problems in order to get work done within time and budget constraints. A
team centered environment makes it possible for each team member to become an active
contributor.
Research Questions
The engineering design course creates a learning environment focused on mentoring a
balance between task (management) and networking (leadership) functions. The balance
ultimately leads to satisfaction with the performance of the team. The focus on
engineering design too frequently emphasizes the technical skills of the team. The
imbalance favors the status quo over innovation and can ultimately result in delays and
costly overruns. For first-year engineering students, exposure to the balance establishes a
realistic attitude toward authentic engineering design.
Balance plays a key role with respect to effectively and efficiently implementing an
open-ended problem solving experience.
Premise
P1. Balance between preparing a quality product and maintaining good
relationship emerges from a supportive environment
Proceedings of Research in Engineering Education Symposium 2011
Madrid, 4 th - 7 th October 2011