Communication in engineering teams: personal interactions and role assignment

NEED – Communication is understood to be a key professional soft skill for engineers, but the components of communication are defined poorly. The literature on engineering communication is devoted primarily to formal information flows, the medium of communication, and technical documentation. There is comparatively little attention on the process, cognitive and organisational aspects. PURPOSE – The overall objective of this thesis was to develop a model of casual role assignment in the engineering context. Specifically, to identify how participants of engineering project meetings choose and acquire communication behavioural patterns. APPROACH – The research approach used mixed methods – a quantitative exploratory study followed by inductive qualitative analysis. The research consisted of four phases. First, a survey (questionnaire) was used to explore levels of satisfaction in communication of engineering team members (phase 1). Next, a new observational study method was developed to capture behavioural interactions within project meetings (phase 2). This is called the interaction diagram methodology. This methodology was then applied together with a structured interview, questionnaire, and Big Five personality test, to observational studies on student engineers (phase 3), and engineers in consulting firms (phase 4). FINDINGS – This thesis made several original contributions. First, a novel observational method was developed that provides a graphical representation of the interaction flow during meetings and a procedure to quickly analyse communication situations, identify group roles, and compare group activity at different meetings. Second, a new set of 12 team roles was identified for participants at project meetings. These were based on the literature, and further modified by our observations. We proposed that Social sensitivity and Personal satisfaction from communication interact, resulting in four broad levels of team outcome. The best is Team coherence, and the lesser outcomes are identified as Reluctant cohesiveness, Parallel compensation, and Behavioural divergence. Third, observations of team behaviour lead to a new insight into the process of team role assignment, and the creation of a new theoretical construct. This is the Team role circumplex. While circumplexes exist elsewhere in psychology and human development, there is no prior work in the area of engineering team roles. Key features of the new circumplex are the identification of two axes against which all the roles may be placed: Personal Agency/ Communion and Social engagement/ Social Disengagement. Fourth, communication at project meetings at university and in commercial engineering firms was compared and several distinctions in communication patterns were identified. For example, official positions consist mostly of predefined communications in industrial organisations, whereas at university participants have more freedom to choose their communication style. Furthermore, factors influencing project team communication (temporal and permanent) were determined and analysed. These factors included the communication setting of the meeting, team size, location inside meeting places, styles of supervision, and personality and demographic factors (gender differences in communication preferences of engineers). It was observed that participants of engineering project meetings adjusted their communication style to the behaviour of other people or to different communication settings. We supposed that this happens at three different levels: micro-level (grounding processes in conversation), mezzo-level (emotional and rational regulation) and macro-level (over an extended period of time)

2020-06-26/27/28 DAILY UNM GLOBAL HEALTH COVID-19 BRIEFING

Executive Summary: NM Highlights: State fair cancelled. Phase 2 reopening stalls. Fewer New Mexicans staying home. ABQ July 4 celebration plan. NM case update. US Highlights: Family members infected following surprise birthday party. New cases spike in Texas due to early reopening of bars. International Highlights: 50% in Austria ski resort have antibodies. Economics, Workforce, Supply Chain, PPE: Why people do not wear masks. Mask filtration efficiencies compared. Masks worn incorrectly. Ultraviolet-based biophotonic technologies. Improved mask designs. Mask wearing controversy. Epidemiology Highlights: Contamination through air flow paths. Contamination of wastewater circulation. Healthcare Policy Recommendations: Moralizing COVID-19 mitigation practices contributes to social polarization. Misperception of exponential infection growth by Americans is common but can be corrected. Adjust quarantine plans for the findings that older patients might have a longer incubation period. Hazards of school reopening in European countries with high transmission rates. Practice Guidelines: Several Brazilian recommendations are published on managing lung cancer, performing laparoscopic surgery, and breastfeeding. Guidelines are provided and managing gynecological cancer. Testing: Test accessibility, frequency and speed of reporting matters more than sensitivity. Prolonged shedding of SARS-CoV-2. Sensitivity of nasopharyngeal and swabs testing. Testing algorithm for essential workers. Drugs, Vaccines, Therapies, Clinical Trials: dexamethasone trial preprint criticized, smallpox-based COVID-19 vaccine, 27 new clinical trials. Other Science: Pandemic sees increased alcohol consumption. Charlson Comorbidity Index predicts poor outcomes. CT features associated with severity. Immune-inflammatory tests associated with severity. Hepatic complications

2020-05-16/17 DAILY UNM GLOBAL HEALTH COVID-19 BRIEFING

Executive Summary: Only 1 case in NM state prisons. NM case count. NM travel warning. NM web-based recovery reporting system. NM Mask Madness Tournament. Face covering in ABQ. NM graduate medical program funding. ABQ Memorial Day cancellation. NM affordable housing funding. Taos farmers market drive through opening. US correctional facility cases. Social distancing works. Dogs sniffing out COVID-19. Germany\u27s soccer league to restart. Mask effectiveness. Mask comfort w/cardboard cutout. Ammonium cleaning ineffective. CDC contact tracing guidance. Spanish immunity. CDC epidemic intelligence fellowship. Speaking transmits virus. Decontaminating workers. CDC advisory for children. Addressing ER fears. Indoor presymptomatic virus transfer. Virus transmission of currency. Safety advice for reopening. Lessons learned from universities. Dutch safe sex guidelines for singles. Recommendations are given on invasive management of acute coronary syndrome, onco-gynecologic surgery, endoscopy, hemodialysis, on resuming orthopedic surgery, clozapine monitoring, starting ADHD medications, orthodontics, and scaling up virtual services. At-home sample collection kit. Hydroxychloroquine no benefit. Tocilizumab reduces mortality rate. Calcium channel blockers beneficial. COVID-19 opinion/review vs. primary research. Disease severity and biomarkers. Concomitant liver injury. Gastrointestinal and liver involvement. Diabetes mortality. High incidence venous thrombosis. Monitoring global emotions with twitter

2020-04-06 DAILY UNM GLOBAL HEALTH COVID-19 BRIEFING

Executive Summary: NM case updates. Several NM policy and legislative actions. Federal vs. state conflict over medical supply lines. Healthcare workers sleep in cars to prevent family exposure. Same-day in-house testing at Cedars-Sinai. Debate over hydroxychloroquine Tx. Death rate differences: Germany and Italy. African innovations. Testing recommended with mild symptoms. CDC guidelines for law enforcement PPE. New WHO first responder training and CDC sign language resources. COVID-19 droplets can travel up to 27 feet. Transmission from the asymptomatic. Humidifiers help. Drug and vaccine progress

2020-05-29/30/31 DAILY UNM GLOBAL HEALTH COVID-19 BRIEFING

Executive Summary: NM Highlights: NM case count. Navajo Nation case update. Largest COVID-19 surge in Taos. ABQ BioPark to reopen. NM public schools reopening plan. NM unemployment claims. Rise in domestic and sexual abuse. US Highlights: Protests inspire fear of surge. Trump withdraws from WHO. Last aid bill. No new NY patients. ICE detainees sick. International Highlights: South Korea schools close. Undercounting in Russia. South African overburdened health care system. Economics, Workforce, Supply Chain, PPE: Reusable protection system. Protective household products. Longterm economic challenges. Epidemiology Highlights: Estimate virus reproduction numbers. Hypertension & cardiovascular disease impact on mortality. Gastrointestinal manifestations. Healthcare Policy Recommendations: Immunity passports are bad idea. Evaluation of hand WHO-recommended products. Opioid use-related challenges of COVID-19 management. Practice Guidelines: NICE guidelines on COVID-19 and acute kidney injury. Example of rapid conversion of an outpatient psychiatric hospital to a virtual telepsychiatry clinic. JAMA recommendations on conducting and reporting COVID-19 clinical research. Testing: Comparison of 4 antigen tests. Validation of antibody assays. Drugs, Vaccines, Therapies, Clinical Trials: Encouraging results of Ruxolitinib phase II RCT. Benefits of adjunctive herbal medicine. Potential inhibitors of viral protease screened. Anticoagulation alone is unlikely to protect from COVID-19 related morbidity and mortality. Open access database Covid19db for COVID-19 drugs. 49 new trials registered. Other Science: COVID-19 collateral damage. Telomere length and COVID-19 outcomes. Wastewater RNA early warning. Neurologic manifestation review. MRI reveals predominant anosmia cases. Self-quarantine weight gain. Immunosuppression vs. cytokine storm. Combatting misinformation

2020-06-15/16 DAILY UNM GLOBAL HEALTH COVID-19 BRIEFING

Executive Summary: NM Highlights: NM case updates. Tribal outreach campaign. Santa Fe firefighters support first responders. US Highlights: COVID-19 hospitalizations rise in Texas. US retail sales up in May. Projected COVID-19 deaths in US. International Highlights: COVID-19 prevention and control in Africa. COVID-19 response and challenge in Africa. Epidemiology Highlights: Herd immunity in Europe. Social distance measures effects. Modeling infections in India. Fecal analysis. Wastewater-based Epidemiology Consortium. Healthcare Policy Recommendations: Public health approach to lockdown debate. All of Us Program adds new COVID-19 initiatives. Practice Guidelines: Guidelines are reviewed on urology care. IBD endoscopy. Convalescent plasma use. Testing: Patient predictors of risk for positive COVID-19 test are reported and an online risk calculator is now available. Drugs, Vaccines, Therapies, Clinical Trials: Steroid dexamethasone reduces 28-day mortality by 1/3. Research links ‘inflamm-aging’ and cytokine storm in elderly. Cancer drug may reduce severe COVID-19. 48 new trials registered. Other Science: Postpone surgery. Proteins predict outcomes. Neurologic manifestations. Thromboembolic risk. Zoonotic transmission. Liver failure. Cardiac complications

2020-06-19/20/21 DAILY UNM GLOBAL HEALTH COVID-19 BRIEFING

Executive Summary: NM Highlights: Dr. Scrase on-line briefing. NM cases. Campgrounds closed through July 4th. Otero prison reports. Navajo nation’s first police dies. Santa Fe cancels 4th July fireworks. Face coverings donated. NM infection rate drops. US Highlights: AZ Governor issues Exec Order. Economics, Workforce, Supply Chain, PPE: Epidemiology Highlights: Reopening hospitals metric. Comparison of mask effectiveness. Private practices suffer. Healthcare Policy Recommendations: Maternal mortality. Practice Guidelines: Recommendations on hepatobiliary surgery and neonate management. Drugs, Vaccines, Therapies, Clinical Trials: Animal studies generate new vaccine candidates and vaccine platform. 16 new clinical trials registered. Other Science: Respiratory secretions detected by trained dogs. MRI findings show brain lesions in non-survivors. Healthy blood vessels may protect children. Meta-analysis on pneumonia severity. Smoking and COVID-19 severity meta-analysis

2020-06-24/25 DAILY UNM GLOBAL HEALTH COVID-19 BRIEFING

Executive Summary: NM Highlights: Governor update. NM schools reopening. Parents split on allowing kids play sports. Santa Fe streets closure. Paid leave for ABQ businesses. 207 cases and 5 deaths. International Highlights: 9% HCW positive in Italy. Australian lessons. Economics, Workforce, Supply Chain, PPE: Plan for return to normalcy. Mask cleaning. Epidemiology Highlights: US years of life lost high. Fever and cough most prevalent symptoms. Hypertension and diabetes most prevalent comorbidities. Hypertension, diabetes and respiratory disease most prevalent in fatal cases. Practice Guidelines: Brazilian guidelines on thromboembolic complications in COVID-19. Novel design of door handle to touch with a forearm. Drugs, Vaccines, Therapies, Clinical Trials: Potential dexamethasone shortage. Arbidol potentially effective. Pixatimod promising. In-silico repurposing. 51 new COVID-19 trials. Other Science: Transmission prior to symptoms. Solar inactivation of coronaviruses. Risk factors for severity. Laboratory tests associated with outcomes

2020-04-17/18 DAILY UNM GLOBAL HEALTH COVID-19 BRIEFING

Executive Summary: Daily NM Recap. Stimulus checks. Whitehouse reopening guidelines. Increased suicide calls. Commentary on COVID and African Americans. NYC ventilation rate. 300K African deaths predicted. Thai horse virus outbreak. Europe eases lockdown. UK vaccine research. Chinese death undercount. Biosafety breaches. General wearing of masks. PPE for emergency physician. FDA approves safer swabs. Mental health lockdown impact. Intermittent social distancing. Undetected US cases. NYC hospitalization characteristics. Adapting veterinary surveillance. Infectious disease” hospital. NIH vaccine and treatment partnership. Repurposing anesthetic machines as ventilators. Guidance for psychiatrists. Elective surgery risk stratification. Hemodialysis facility. Pathologist on IgG/M tests. Abnormal coagulation and ECMO. Paramedic guidance. Dialysis and transplants. Critically ill management. GI guidance. Otorhinolaryngology head & neck surgery. Emergency nursing management. Lung surgery. Metabolic & bariatric surgery. Convalescent plasma therapy effectiveness. Potential antivirals. UK testing. Spike proteins for potential vaccine. Cytokines suggest IL-6 antagonist treatments. Mental health messaging. $483 million for mRNA-1273 vaccine trial. WHO unsure about antibody protection. Complications for IBD. Hospitalizations characterized. Social distancing and personality. Digital COVID-19 literature database available

2020-06-03/04 DAILY UNM GLOBAL HEALTH COVID-19 BRIEFING

Executive Summary: NM Highlights: Navajo Nation to end weekend curfew. NM case count. Navajo Nation case updates. Food distribution by PepsiCo. APS to get funding. US Highlights: 5 vaccine candidates. Arizona’s increased cases. Some states postpone primaries. Pork plant infections. Economics, Workforce, Supply Chain, PPE: Impact on global supply chains. Residency selection process disrupted. Facemask filtration efficiency. Resources for underserved countries. Epidemiology Highlights: Morbidity and mortality in Africa. Healthcare Policy Recommendations: Need for social distancing. Psychological support guide. Return to work guidelines. Practice Guidelines: Anesthesia recommendations for ECT. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation outcomes. Testing: Roche Elecsys IL-6 test is authorized by FDA to identify severe inflammatory response. Drugs, Vaccines, Therapies, Clinical Trials: HCQ RCT does not show disease prevention. Lancet HCQ study retraction. Adjunctive convalescent plasma did not show clinical improvement. Mixed remdesivir results. Virtual drug screening. Heparin improved survival. Moderna phase 3. Skin science for vaccine development. ECMO therapy. 48 new clinical trials. Other Science: Androgens and poor male outcomes. Trust in science enhances prevention compliance. High VTE prevalence in critically ill