Gigliotti Ralph A, Weidner Melissa, Jansen Michelle, Greenberg Patricia, Bachmann Gloria, Dominguez-Bello Maria Gloria, Parmar Veenat, Panettieri Reynold A, Reilly Nancy, Ayers Charletta A, Cohen Barrie, Denzin Lisa K, Feldman Cecile A, Fiedler Nancy, Jimenez Manuel E, Laumbach Robert J, Malin Steven K, Mazzaferro Natale, Pai Shilpa, Rosen Todd, Rossman-Murphy Lisa, Salvatore Jessica E, Schmitz Kristine H, Shapses Sue A, Shiau Stephanie, Zarbl Helmut, Reichman Nancy E, Barrett Emily S, Blaser Martin J, Horton Daniel B
Office of Organizational Leadership, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
Department of Pediatrics, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
J Clin Transl Sci. 2024 Oct 14;8(1):e163. doi: 10.1017/cts.2024.578. eCollection 2024.
The New Jersey Kids Study (NJKS) is a transdisciplinary statewide initiative to understand influences on child health, development, and disease. We conducted a mixed-methods study of project planning teams to investigate team effectiveness and relationships between team dynamics and quality of deliverables.
Ten theme-based working groups (WGs) (e.g., Neurodevelopment, Nutrition) informed protocol development and submitted final reports. WG members ( = 79, 75%) completed questionnaires including de-identified demographic and professional information and a modified TeamSTEPPS Team Assessment Questionnaire (TAQ). Reviewers independently evaluated final reports using a standardized tool. We analyzed questionnaire results and final report assessments using linear regression and performed constant comparative qualitative analysis to identify central themes.
WG-level factors associated with greater team effectiveness included proportion of full professors ( = 31.24, 95% CI 27.65-34.82), team size ( = 0.81, 95% CI 0.70-0.92), and percent dedicated research effort ( = 0.11, 95% CI 0.09-0.13); age distribution ( = -2.67, 95% CI -3.00 to -2.38) and diversity of school affiliations ( = -33.32, 95% CI -36.84 to -29.80) were inversely associated with team effectiveness. No factors were associated with final report assessments. Perceptions of overall initiative leadership were associated with expressed enthusiasm for future NJKS participation. Qualitative analyses of final reports yielded four themes related to team science practices: organization and process, collaboration, task delegation, and decision-making patterns.
We identified several correlates of team effectiveness in a team science initiative's early planning phase. Extra effort may be needed to bridge differences in team members' backgrounds to enhance the effectiveness of diverse teams. This work also highlights leadership as an important component in future investigator engagement.
新泽西儿童研究（NJKS）是一项全州范围的跨学科倡议，旨在了解对儿童健康、发育和疾病的影响。我们对项目规划团队进行了一项混合方法研究，以调查团队有效性以及团队动态与可交付成果质量之间的关系。
十个基于主题的工作组（如神经发育、营养）为方案制定提供信息并提交最终报告。工作组成员（n = 79，75%）完成了问卷，包括匿名的人口统计学和专业信息以及一份经过修改的团队STEPPS团队评估问卷（TAQ）。评审人员使用标准化工具独立评估最终报告。我们使用线性回归分析问卷结果和最终报告评估，并进行持续比较定性分析以确定核心主题。
与更高团队有效性相关的工作组层面因素包括正教授比例（β = 31.24，95%置信区间27.65 - 34.82）、团队规模（β = 0.81，95%置信区间0.70 - 0.92）和专门研究工作的百分比（β = 0.11，95%置信区间0.09 - 0.13）；年龄分布（β = -2.67，95%置信区间 -3.00至 -2.38）和学校附属机构的多样性（β = -33.32，95%置信区间 -36.84至 -29.80）与团队有效性呈负相关。没有因素与最终报告评估相关。对整体倡议领导力的看法与对未来参与NJKS的热情表达相关。对最终报告的定性分析产生了与团队科学实践相关的四个主题：组织与流程、协作、任务分配和决策模式。
我们在团队科学倡议的早期规划阶段确定了几个与团队有效性相关的因素。可能需要付出额外努力来弥合团队成员背景差异，以提高多元化团队的有效性。这项工作还强调领导力是未来研究人员参与的重要组成部分。
