Fluid teams are teams whose members are drawn from various technical domains or organizational divisions and assembled to undertake a critical, time-limited task. Members of these teams typically have no prior familiarity or experience working together, must begin work immediately to accomplish the task, and then cease to exist following completion. Fluid teams have become commonplace in a number of work contexts, including military joint operations, healthcare, technology and software design, disaster response teams, aviation crews, and other task environments.
Although fluid teams have become ubiquitous, they differ in a number of ways from more traditional or intact teams which, in contrast, have a relatively stable membership, a longer lifespan, and are composed of team members who have a history of working together over time. Research is needed to illuminate how performance in fluid teams may differ from traditional teams and to examine approaches to support effective teamwork in fluid team contexts.
The focus of this Research Topic includes:
Articles that describe empirical, theoretical, or conceptual research that advances our understanding of fluid teams.
Research that provides practical implications for supporting fluid team performance.
Representative topics relevant to fluid teams may include:
• Analysis of fluid team performance within specific work contexts,
• Teamwork,
• Team Development,
• Leadership,
• Trust,
• Communication,
• Training,
• Selection,
• Task design,
• Other novel approaches.
Fluid teams are teams whose members are drawn from various technical domains or organizational divisions and assembled to undertake a critical, time-limited task. Members of these teams typically have no prior familiarity or experience working together, must begin work immediately to accomplish the task, and then cease to exist following completion. Fluid teams have become commonplace in a number of work contexts, including military joint operations, healthcare, technology and software design, disaster response teams, aviation crews, and other task environments.
Although fluid teams have become ubiquitous, they differ in a number of ways from more traditional or intact teams which, in contrast, have a relatively stable membership, a longer lifespan, and are composed of team members who have a history of working together over time. Research is needed to illuminate how performance in fluid teams may differ from traditional teams and to examine approaches to support effective teamwork in fluid team contexts.
The focus of this Research Topic includes:
Articles that describe empirical, theoretical, or conceptual research that advances our understanding of fluid teams.
Research that provides practical implications for supporting fluid team performance.
Representative topics relevant to fluid teams may include:
• Analysis of fluid team performance within specific work contexts,
• Teamwork,
• Team Development,
• Leadership,
• Trust,
• Communication,
• Training,
• Selection,
• Task design,
• Other novel approaches.