Teamwork in context of diversity

Abstract

Utilization of teamwork for problem solving is pervasive. Teamwork is employed in classrooms to facilitate learning, but also as preparation for future vocational practice. It is used in research as collaborative ethos. Teamwork features in workplace tasks, leisure time projects, pursuing solutions to intractable trans-situated problems, etc. The space of teamwork is a public space of multidimensional assets. Inherent in it are benefits of collaboration, but it also brings with it challenges that have to be resolved in order for it to work effectively. We pursue the question of effectiveness of team function through team size, given certain identified benefits and disbenefits. We attempt to find out if there is an optimal small team size based on a few characteristics such as burden sharing, transactive knowledge and conflict (e.g. schedule conflict). We employ an agent-based model. For parameterization of variables, we take data from a short questionnaire completed by students and use its results to set values. We create small teams of different sizes and allow the dynamic model to aggregate those values as adopted by agents. We also attempt to see which one of four benefit/disbenefit valuation model specifications might work best.