Study On The Effectiveness Of Complex Product And System R&D Teams

Complex products and systems (CoPS) have been the core of modern industry. The R&D and manufacturing of CoPS will have the comprehensive and deep influence on the national economy in many industries. Using team to carry out technical R&D has become the main form of CoPS R&D at home and abroad. Because the characteristics of CoPS R&D are multi-technology system and multi-level integration, the R&D team effectiveness has different characteristics from the conventional simple product R&D team. However, most academic research on CoPS focuses on the field of technological management and technological innovation. The research on team effectiveness focuses on the field of organizational behavior and applied psychology. The theme of the effectiveness of R&D team in CoPS is much less studied. In this context, the study of effectiveness of R&D team in CoPS will fill the theoretical gaps, and enhance the Chinese R&D team’s performance in CoPS.This study belongs to exploratory study. The research logic is as follows:Firstly, on the basis of literature review and field research, the concept hypotheses of effectiveness of R&D team in CoPS (including organizational effectiveness and operational effectiveness) are proposed. Secondly, the exploratory case study is used to test the concept hypotheses, organizational effectiveness hypothetical model and operational effectiveness hypothetical model about effectiveness of R&D team in CoPS, and theoretical model containing specific variables is proposed. Thirdly, multi-case study and questionnaire survey are used to test and correct the organizational effectiveness hypothetical model and operational effectiveness hypothetical model respectively. Lastly, the model of effectiveness of R&D team in CoPS is formed, and relevant managerial implications and recommendations are put forwarded.In this research logic and framework, this dissertation involves the follow research work:Firstly, the concept hypotheses of effectiveness of R&D team in CoPS are proposed and tested. Using literature study and case study, the results show that the R&D team in CoPS has the multi-level technology collaborative and integrated design features because of the multi-level and multi-technology system properties of CoPS. This paper extends the concept extension of team effectiveness, and organizational effectiveness is incorporated into the concept of effectiveness of R&D team in CoPS. Four R&D institutions (or companies) in CoPS and their eight R&D teams as case samples, this paper uses the case study and cross-case comparative study to analyze the forms of organization and R&D team process. The results show that the R&D team performance in CoPS has the corresponding relationships with the R&D team’s form (level and type) and R&D team’s characteristics. The concept hypotheses of effectiveness of R&D team in CoPS are tested:the effectiveness of R&D team in CoPS includes organizational effectiveness and operational effectiveness.Secondly, the model of organizational effectiveness of R&D team in CoPS is constructed and tested. Based on the exploratory case study, this paper finds that multi-level and multi-type combination are characteristics of R&D team’s organizational form in CoPS that different from the conventional R&D team, and the theoretical model of organizational effectiveness of R&D team in CoPS is constructed by elements refined. Multi-case study is used to test and contrast the theoretical model and research hypotheses. The model of organizational effectiveness of R&D team in CoPS based on the match between R&D features of CoPS and organizational form of R&D team (multi-level R&D team type). The model results show that the degree of technical complexity, the degree of R&D and manufacturing integration, customer/marker type, and product delivery cycle are four R&D characteristics of factors that determine the organizational form of the R&D team in CoPS. At the same time, in order to enhance the application value of the model, this paper constructs the organizational effectiveness fit model with clear matching relations and measurable multi-level R&D team in CoPS. This model provides the clear theoretical reference and application of matching tools for CoPS R&D institutions (or integrator) to select the appropriate organizational form of R&D team.Thirdly, the operational effectiveness of R&D team in CoPS is constructed and tested according to the IPO framework. Using the exploratory case study, this paper refines and constructs the theoretical model of operational effectiveness of R&D team in CoPS based on IPO-logic, and survey data analysis is used to test the theoretical model’s hypotheses by structural equation model validation. The results show that task complexity and interdependence are the key input factors of operational effectiveness of R&D team in CoPS; shared mental model and transactive memory system can impact the R&D team performance directly and impact the R&D team performance indirectly through the team interaction. At the same time, shared mental model, transactive memory system and team interaction play fully mediated roles between the task complexity/interdependence and team performance. This paper takes professional R&D team and project R&D team as sample data respectively and use structural equation model to test research hypotheses. The results show that, shared mental model and transactive memory system between team members have different impact on R&D team performance in CoPS, and these differences relate to the operating mechanism of two types of R&D team. The results indicate that project R&D team need more team building to promote the shared mental model and transactive memory system between team members, and improve the project R&D team’s performance. Lastly, this paper test and correct the models of organizational effectiveness and operational effectiveness of R&D team, and integrate to form the model of effectiveness of R&D team in CoPS further. The model shows that the R&D features of CoPS determine the multi-level R&D team’s organizational type, and different R&D team types determine the different the task complexity, task interdependence and professional heterogeneity. These factors as key input factors impact team interaction process and form of the shared mental model and transactive memory system. Finally, all of factors impact on team performance together. This logical process covers the whole process from organizing and operating to output of the R&D team in CoPS.