Strategic momentum in virtual R&D project teams : a complement to management

In recent decades there is a growing interest in working in multidisciplinary teams. A main reason for this is that often solving problems in organisations needs the use of various different expertises. As these expertises often are not to be found concentrated in one place, this interest is increasingly shifted towards working in virtual teams. A virtual team is a team characterised by geographical dispersion of the members, who rely only on a limited extent to face-to-face communication. In this research I focus on a specific type of virtual teams, namely virtual Research & Development (R&D) project teams, an increasingly important mode of operation in innovation. However, managing virtual teams faces significant problems. A main cause is that managers can not constantly look over the shoulder of the dispersed professionals to see what they are doing. It is also difficult for the team members themselves to adjust their work to one another when they are cooperating without much face-to-face contacts. Such problems threaten the effectivity of the virtual R&D project team. Thus the field problem driving this research is: How to create an effective virtual R&D project team, given the starting conditions of the virtual R&D project team. The research strategy chosen here is design-oriented research (Design Science Research). In this approach one aims at the development of generic solution concepts for a type of field problem, to be used in designing specific solutions for specific cases of this field problem. I have based my solution concepts on the theory of 'strategic momentum'. Strategic momentum is a kind of flywheel effect. An organization or group of people has strategic momentum if it is able to pursue its objectives, in spite of disturbances and without (much) management interventions. A key indicator of the existence of strategic momentum is a 'momentum effect': an interference in work is solved without management intervention. The objective of my research is to investigate whether strategic momentum can be a sustainable feature of a team and, if so, to develop ways in which one can develop strategic momentum in virtual teams. I studied eight cases of virtual R&D-teams, analysing the emergence of their strategic momentum and the interventions used to increase it. I developed a way to measure strategic momentum in terms of the resources deployed in the right direction. More specifically: in chapter 3 an answer is given to the question of how strategic momentum can be defined and measured. Whether strategic momentum can be more or less a stable feature of a virtual R & D project team is answered in Chapter 4, in which I present the eight case studies. One cannot see strategic momentum directly, but only indirectly, for example when momentum effects occur: momentum becomes manifest e.g. when team members take the initiative to solve a problem in the direction of the team's objectives without consulting management. Momentum effects were found in all cases. Chapter 5 provides answers to the questions on how to create strategic momentum. The theory suggests that the development of team task insight, empowerment and collective commitment leads to the creation and sustenance of strategic momentum. My research supports this hypothesis. In chapter 6 I investigate through cross-case analyses (using crisp set Qualitative Comparative Analysis) how one can develop team task insight, empowerment and collective commitment. The results are presented in the form of design propositions, using the CIMO-logic. This logic runs like: for this problem-in-context (C), it is useful to use this intervention (I), which will produce through these mechanisms (M) the desired outcome (O)

Open innovation via virtual team : how and why do we meet?

Open innovation can take place on several levels. In this paper we will look at the virtual R&D project team level, especially at the ‘fuzzy front end’ of open innovation. We conducted qualitative research with six case studies of virtual R&D project teams, consisting of partners all over Europe. We found that most partners were intrinsically motivated for the virtual R&D project team because they were interested in the content of the project. These partners were already involved in research concerning the topic internally in the organisation. By collaboration in a virtual R&D project team they were able to put this research on a higher level. We also found that concerning the forming of the network, i.e. the virtual R&D project team, is that most partners are acquainted to each other, or are ‘acquaintances of acquaintances’

Teacher behaviour and student motivational outcomes:Critical reflections on the knowledge base and on future research

In this chapter, (a selection of) current conceptualizations, theories, measurements, and instruments of (quality of) teacher and teaching behaviour from a variety of perspectives, namely educational and teacher effectiveness research, learning environments research and research on motivational teaching are discussed. Furthermore, attention is paid to topics such as the dimensionality of teacher and teaching behaviour, and of teaching skills, as well as the existence of teaching styles and stages in teaching skill development. In addition, context, antecedents, informant as well as (in)stability issues concerning teacher and teaching behaviour are addressed. Relevant empirical findings concerning the already mentioned issues as well as empirical findings with regard to teacher and teaching effectiveness in relation to student motivational outcomes are reviewed and discussed. Attention is paid to unique and joint effects of teacher and teaching behaviour dimensions and relative sizes of effects. In addition, differential effectiveness of teacher and teaching behaviour in relation to student background characteristics such as gender, social-economic status, cognitive ability, race and ethnicity, and prior engagement is discussed. The chapter ends with conclusions, reflections, implications and suggestions for future research directions and practice related to effective teacher and teaching behaviour based on the findings discussed before

Critical roles of endogenous glucocorticoids for disease tolerance in malaria

During malaria, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is activated and glucocorticoid (GC) levels are increased, but their essential roles have been largely overlooked. GCs are decisive for systemic regulation of vital processes such as immune responses, vascular function, and metabolism, which are crucial in malaria. Here, we introduce GCs in general, followed by their versatile roles for disease tolerance in malaria. A complementary comparison is provided with their role in sepsis. Finally, potential translational implications are considered. The failed clinical trials of dexamethasone against cerebral malaria in the past have diminished the interest in GCs in malaria. However, the issue of relative corticosteroid insufficiency has barely been explored in malaria patients, but may hold promise for a better understanding and treatment of specific malaria complications

The development of academic procrastination in first-year secondary education students:The link with metacognitive self-regulation, self-efficacy, and effort regulation

Academic procrastination has been widely recognized as a problematic but common phenomenon in education. A growing body of literature construes procrastination as a situational, dynamic construct. Yet, little is known about its development in young secondary education students. The current study aims to elucidate this issue while exploring the relation with metacognitive self-regulation, self-efficacy, and effort regulation. Hierarchical growth curve modeling of the development of students' procrastination (566 students, 20 Mathematics/English grade-1 secondary education classes) revealed positive linear trajectories at class level but showed greater variability at student level. All mentioned predictors were negatively associated with procrastination and declined over time, with effort regulation revealing the strongest association. Interaction effects with time revealed a stable procrastination - effort regulation association, whereas the association with metacognitive self-regulation and self-efficacy diminished over time. The findings support the view on academic procrastination as a dynamic construct and highlight the importance of early intervention

OFC

Studies show a decrease in students’ motivation in secondary education. Hence, it was investigated whether training of teachers could stop this decline. Two interventions were implemented in prevocational secondary education, being self-regulated strategy instruction and behavioral consultation combined with strategy instruction. The longitudinal effects of the two interventions were tested on the goal orientations of 279 students. The growth curves show a long-term effect of the intervention combining teacher consultancy with strategy instruction on task orientation, ego-enhancing orientation, and ego-defeating orientation as compared to the control condition. For the strategy instruction only condition, only effects on ego orientation were found. The outcomes suggest that combining the instruction of self-regulation strategies with teacher consultation on student problem-solving can stop the downward trend in student motivation, even on the long term

Enhancing effort and achievement: the importance of parent involvement and home-school partnerships

Schools, teachers and peers can be important facilitators with respect to the enhancement of motivation, effort and achievement, but research has also established that differences in the experiences children have at home are predictive of individual differences in motivation and cognitive competencies. In our study the importance of the home (especially parent involvement) for effort and achievement - next to family background (SES) and student characteristics like prior ability and achievement - was investigated, as well as, the existence of interactions between home/student and class environment characteristics with respect to achievement. A dataset of 4403 students, 266 classes and 57 secondary schools and multilevel and structural equation modeling were used to get an answer our research questions. The results indicate that parents' involvement has a unique positive effect on effort and achievement although it is (weakly) related to SES. Research on interactions revealed that all students are sensitive to their school context, but girls, students with highly involved parents and students with high prior achievement somewhat more. The results of the study suggest the importance of close lines of communication between home and schoo