Research in Engineering Education Symposium 2011 - rees2009

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) Página 345 de 957
Figure 2: Balance between the Focus on Quality and Maintaining Good Relationships
The team building exercises complement implementation of the project and enable
visualization of the balance between task and networking functions. The distribution of
functions, illustrated in Figure 3, demonstrates a progression toward balance as the
project evolves. During the forming phase, students observe that the team initially focuses
on task (75:25 split) to produce a quality product. Moving from the forming to the
norming phase, the team develops a network that engages members and supports team
decisions (67:33 split) while maintaining a high regard for the task functions. As the team
moves into the performing phase, increasing application of networking functions (55:45
split) balance task functions necessary to produce a quality product.
Figure 3: Task and Networking Distribution throughout the Project Cycle
The attitude survey and team building exercises informs the team about the importance of
supporting the shared contributions of all team members (premise 1). Developing an
effective networking component balances the task component for successful open-ended
problem solving. This team building process evolves throughout the various phases of the
project (premise 2).
Satisfaction with performance relies on the team’s ability to define a compelling vision
that resolves needs of the stakeholders. Leaders not only define vision but also engage
members with direction – a strategy for action. Clark (2001) comments that the team
expects the leader to use perspective to engage the members – to provide networking
Proceedings of Research in Engineering Education Symposium 2011
Madrid, 4 th - 7 th October 2011