Multidisciplinarity and teamwork in virtual real-life projects - reflection as a tool for development
Keywords:
virtual project, hybrid team, multidisciplinary, project team developmentAbstract
Project teams will increasingly work virtually in multidisciplinary teams. The degree of virtuality varies from fully virtual to hybrid. The purpose of this study is to identify how the virtual team (VT) members experience multidisciplinary project work and team development in the context of international real-life projects in Higher Education Institutions (HEI).
The data were gathered from student project teams´ final reports (n=7) and students´ individual reflection diaries (n= 37). Thematic content and sentiment analysis were used.
The results showed that team members can experience professional diversity and team development in different ways. This can lead, among other things, to social isolation. However, multidisciplinarity was largely perceived as a positive factor in teamwork. The importance of team-level and individual-level reflections are also emphasized.
The results of this study will be taken into further discussion at HEIs to ensure that the students acquire the competences needed in virtual project teams.
