Advances in information and communication technology have created the possibility for virtual (team) work. Due to globalization and also the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more teams are working together virtually. This creates new challenges such as reduced informal communication - affecting team effectiveness including team member satisfaction.

In the DFG-funded project, the Team Flow concept will be used to investigate the promotion of team effectiveness.

Using a qualitative approach, the conditions of Team Flow in the context of virtual teams will be identified in a first study. Conditions at the social, individual, and task levels are considered in both self-managed teams and teams led by a manager.

To understand team processes, it is essential to consider their dynamics. Therefore, two additional studies examine team flow dynamics, their conditions, and their effects on team effectiveness.

Because traditional flow measures rely on self-report questionnaires that require interruption of the team process, capturing team flow dynamics is challenging. To address this challenge, machine learning will be used to identify an algorithm based on behavioral and sensor data that is capable of predicting team flow and capturing its dynamics over time.

Funding

Project duration: 15.01.2022 - 14.01.2025

The Institute of Psychology I (IPSY I) and the Institute of Medical Informatics (IMI) together with cooperation partners from Poland applied for the new COPICOH project in the program "Beethoven CLASSIC 4 - Polish-German Funding Initiative". With a total funding volume of 618.787€ (thereof 425.327€ for IPSY I and IMI) the project is supported by the following:

•     DFG - German Research Foundation
•     National Science Centre Poland