Fostering Collaboration in Heterogeneous Teams

Clifton Kussmaul, Muhlenberg College;
Susannah Howe, Smith College

This workshop introduces participants to best practices and supporting tools and activities that can be used to foster collaboration in teams than span disciplines or institutions. Such cross-functional and distributed collaborations are increasingly common both in academia and industry. The workshop emphasizes: a life-cycle model for collaborative teams; tools and techniques to support collaboration; and guidelines, tutorials, and activities to help teams progress through the life-cycle model. The workshop is divided into four parts: an introduction; an activity focused on multidisciplinary teams; an activity focused on distributed teams; and a concluding discussion. We use process miniatures, in which an entire process is run in a very short time so that participants get a sense of how all of the pieces work together. Participants will also receive a packet of materials with additional activities and examples.