Team capabilities in engineering projects: Measurement and evaluation

QIANG Maoshan; YUAN Shangnan; WEN Qi

PDF(1195 KB)

Journal of Tsinghua University(Science and Technology) ›› 2015, Vol. 55 ›› Issue (6) : 624-632.

HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING

Team capabilities in engineering projects: Measurement and evaluation

{{article.zuoZhe_EN}}

Author information +

History +

Abstract

Temporary organizations during engineering projects include the owner, designer, consultant and contractor teams. Thus, evaluations of project team capabilities will help improve management of engineering project organizations. A literature review showed the key factors affecting project team capabilities and which factors should be analyzed in a measurement model with empirical tests based on 226 questionnaires from hydropower project teams. A reliability test, validity test, factor analysis, regression analysis and comparative analysis showed that the project team capability is dependent on the team-leader capability, team-base capability and team-external capability with 16 measurement indicators. The team-base capability is the most significant of the three in determining the team capability. The project team capability can be measured by the first and second order models, with the first one evaluating detailed aspects of each capability factor, and the second one measuring the overall team capability. The capability evaluation results showed that teams from complex projects have relatively high capability, as do similar designer teams. Also, when the owner team is not capable enough, the designer and consultant team capabilities need to be relatively high to provide the needed capability demand for the project management.

Key words

engineering project team capability / capability measurement model / capability formation process

Cite this article

EndNote

Ris (Procite)

Bibtex

Download Citations

QIANG Maoshan, YUAN Shangnan, WEN Qi. Team capabilities in engineering projects: Measurement and evaluation[J]. Journal of Tsinghua University(Science and Technology). 2015, 55(6): 624-632

References

[1] Robbins S P. Organization Theory: The Structure and Design of Organizations [M]. Upper Saddle River, USA: Prentice-Hall, Inc, 1983.
[2] Johnson D W, Johnson F P. Joining Together: Group Theory and Group Skills [M]. Upper Saddle River, USA: Prentice-Hall, Inc, 1991.
[3] Kur E. The faces model of high performing team development [J]. Management Development Review, 1996, 9(6): 25-35.
[4] 赵西萍, 杨扬, 辛欣. 团队能力, 组织信任与团队绩效的关系研究 [J]. 科学学与科学技术管理, 2008, 29(3): 155-159. ZHAO Xiping, YANG Yang, XIN Xin. Study on the Relationships between team competence, organizational trust and team performance [J]. Science of Science and Management of Science &Technology, 2008, 29(3): 155-159. (in Chinese)
[5] Helfat C E, Finkelstein S, Mitchell W, et al. Dynamic Capabilities: Understanding Strategic Change in Organizations [M]. Hoboken, USA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2009.
[6] 马亚男. 个人能力, 团队能力, 企业能力的转化扩散机制研究 [J]. 科学学与科学技术管理, 2004, 24(11): 109-111.MA Yanan. Study on transformation and diffusion mechanism between personal ability, team capability and company capability [J]. Science of Science and Management of S.&T., 2004, 24(11): 109-111. (in Chinese)
[7] 张瑞莲. 科研项目团队能力评价的研究 [D]. 北京: 北京邮电大学, 2011.ZHANG Ruilian. Research of Valuation of Project Team's Ability [D]. Beijing: Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, 2011. (in Chinese)
[8] Yang L, Huang C, Wu K. The association among project manager's leadership style, teamwork and project success [J]. International Journal of Project Management, 2011, 29(3): 258-267.
[9] Dionne S D, Yammarino F J, Atwater L E, et al. Transformational leadership and team performance [J]. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 2004, 17(2): 177-193.
[10] Chow L J, Then D, Skitmore M. Characteristics of teamwork in Singapore construction projects [J]. Journal of Construction Research, 2005, 6(01): 15-46.
[11] Raven J, Raven J C, Court J H. Manual for Raven's Progressive Matrices and Vocabulary Scales [M]. Oxford, UK: Oxford Psychologists Press, 1998.
[12] Edwards B D, Day E A, Arthur Jr W, et al. Relationships among team ability composition, team mental models, and team performance [J]. Journal of Applied Psychology, 2006, 91(3): 727.
[13] Lebedev A A, Ryjov A P. Design team capability and project progress evaluation based on information monitoring technology [C]//2009 Fifth International Conference on Soft Computing, Computing with Words and Perceptions in System Analysis, Decision and Control. Piscataway, USA: IEEE, 2010: 32-34.
[14] Stene E O. An Approach to a Science of Administration [J]. American Political Science Review, 1940, 34(06): 1124-1137.
[15] Nelson R R, Winter S G. An Evolutionary Theory of Economic Change [M]. Cambridge, USA: Harvard University Press, 1982: 97-99.
[16] 王建安. 组织能力的认知基础 [M]. 北京: 中国社会科学出版社, 2013: 202-204.WANG Jian'an. The Cognitive Basis of Organizational Capability [M]. Beijing: China Social Science Press, 2013: 202-204. (in Chinese)
[17] Kogut B, Zander U. Knowledge of the firm, combinative capabilities, and the replication of technology [J]. Organization Science, 1992, 3(3): 383-397.
[18] Anderson J R. Cognitive Psychology and Its Implications [M]. New York, USA: WH Freeman/Times Books/Henry Holt & Co, 1990.
[19] McShane S L, Von Glinow M A. Organizational Behavior [M]. 3rd Ed. Noida, India: Tata McGraw-Hill Inc, 2005.
[20] Silverman D. The Theory of Organizations [M]. New York, USA: Basic Books, 1971.
[21] Chen Y Q, Zhang Y B, Liu J Y, et al. Interrelationships among critical success factors of construction projects based on the structural equation model [J]. Journal of Management in Engineering, 2011, 28(3): 243-251.
[22] Turner J R, Müller R. The project manager's leadership style as a success factor on projects: A literature review [J]. Project Management Journal, 2005, 36(2): 49-61.
[23] Easton G S, Rosenzweig E D. The role of experience in six sigma project success: An empirical analysis of improvement projects [J]. Journal of Operations Management, 2012, 30(7): 481-493.
[24] Yang L R, Yen H F, Chiang Y F. A framework for assessing impacts of leadership competency on police project performance: Mediating role of job satisfaction and moderating role of project type [J]. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 2012, 35(3): 528-550.
[25] Espinosa J A, Slaughter S A, Kraut R E, et al. Familiarity, complexity, and team performance in geographically distributed software development [J]. Organization Science, 2007, 18(4): 613-630.
[26] McDonough E F. Investigation of factors contributing to the success of cross-functional teams [J]. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 2000, 17(3): 221-235.
[27] 陈国权. 团队学习和学习型团队: 概念, 能力模型, 测量及对团队绩效的影响 [J]. 管理学报, 2007, 4(5): 602-609.CHEN Guoquan. Team Learning and Learning Teams: Their Concepts, Measurements and Impacts on Team Performance, and the Capability Models [J]. Chinese Journal of Management, 2007, 4(5): 602-609.
[28] Nunnally J C. Psychomtietric Theory [M]. New York, USA: McGraw-Hill, 1978.
[29] Hair J F, Black W C, Babin B J, et al. Multivariate Data Analysis [M]. Upper Saddle River, USA: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006.
[30] Bollen K A. Structural Equations with Latent Variables [M]. Hoboken, USA: John Wiley & Sons, 1989.
[31] Crocker L, Algina J. Introduction to Classical and Modern Test Theory [M]. New York, USA: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1986.
[32] Reinard J C. Communication Research Statistics [M]. Thousand Oaks, USA: Sage, 2006.