SWTng 9: Developing Team Competencies

     Article number nine by Kathrin Figl of the Vienna University of Economics and Business is titled "A Systematic Review of Developing Team Competencies in Information Systems Education," published in the Journal of Information Systems Education with 122 references. Author-supplied keywords include team competencies, team projects, curriculum development, and information systems education. The abstract follows (p. 323):

The ability to work effectively in teams has been a key competence for information systems engineers for a long time. Gradually, more attention is being paid to developing this generic competence as part of academic curricula, resulting in two questions: how to best promote team competencies and how to implement team projects successfully. These questions are closely interwoven and need to be looked at together. To address these questions, this paper identifies relevant studies and approaches, best practices, and key findings in the field of information systems education and related fields such as computer science and business, and examines them together to develop a systematic framework. The framework is intended to categorize existing research on teams and team competencies in information systems education and to guide information systems educators in supporting teamwork and promoting team competencies in students at the course and curricular level in the context of teaching in tertiary education.

      Working in teams has always been an essential element of development efforts in Information Systems (IS). The same is equally important in instructional software development (ISD); the team often consists of instructional designers, graphic artists, subject matter experts, and software programmers, among others, so the correlation should be very close. In a team effort, the labor is divided among the members in a way that is complementary. Each team member works to their strength, not their weakness. This includes the ability to work effectively in a team. Technical competence is insufficient in this environment. Social competencies, such as communication skills and the ability to work together with others, are also important. Training in instructional software development should prepare the developers "to work effectively in teams and foster collaborative skills necessary in the workplace" (p. 323). This should be considered a critical skill and should drive the development of training curricula for instructional software development.
     Team competencies can be either specific or generic and related each way to the team or to the task. Team-generic team competencies are transportable to other teams; task-generic team competencies are transportable to other tasks. Team-specific or task-specific team competencies are applicable only to the corresponding team or task. "For IS curricula, team-generic, task-contingent and transportable team competencies are especially relevant, since graduates may apply for jobs in different companies and have to work within different teams in their job" (p. 324). This should also be true for ISD curricula. Team skill competencies can be broken down into major sub-skills, including group decision making/planning, adaptability/flexibility, and interpersonal relations.
     The purpose of training in team competencies is to enhance individual knowledge, skills, and attitudes that improve team effectiveness when applied in context. A review of the literature identified three levels at which instruction in team competencies could be enhanced: the course level, the instructor level, and the curriculum level. At the course level, the following background topics were culled from the literature (pp. 326-327):

• The importance of team projects in IS education
• Basics of team projects and their positive effects
• Team projects as training for team competencies

     Specific activities for promoting teams and team competencies at the course level include the following (pp. 327-331):

1. Building teams for team projects
1. Team size
2. Team composition
3. Team roles
2. Raising awareness
3. Team building activities
4. Dealing with social loafing and promoting positive interdependence
5. Supporting the team process
6. Reflection of teamwork
7. Feedback on teamwork
8. Assessment of teamwork
9. Additional team competencies training
1. Lecture-based input
2. Exercises, e.g. icebreaker games, communicating requirements, active listening, role plays, and pair-programming
10. Measuring the effect of interventions on teamwork competencies
11. Evaluative studies on the effectiveness of team competencies training

     At the instructor level, the primary intervention should be training and supervision for course instructors (pp. 331-332).
     At the curriculum level, students should gain expertise in three basic types of  interaction: competition with peers, working independently of peers, and working cooperatively with peers (pp. 332-333).
     Whatever the approach that is used, it should be systematic in supporting and promoting team competencies in the context of either IS or ISD.

REFERENCE

Figl, K. (2010). A systematic review of developing team competencies in information systems education. Journal of Information Systems Education, 21(3), pp. 323-337.