How do behavioral patterns emerge for shared leadership: Video interaction analysis

Abstract: In the realm of collaborative work, we often find diverse groups of individuals (e.g., employees or students) brought together from different departments to tackle time-bound projects. This scenario is quite common in real-world organizational settings. Teams, essentially, are the foundational units of these organizations, and they play a vital role in problem-solving, especially when addressing complex issues that demand multiple areas of expertise and a variety of perspectives.
The key to achieving excellence within these teams lies in the establishment of an effective collaborative process. Success is the product of a dual focus: not only on the actual project work but also on the interactions among team members. As Mohrman et al. (1995) mentioned that collaboration is fundamentally rooted in the notion that work unfolds within the context of dialogue. This insight underscores the essence of collaborative efforts. It doesn't unfold spontaneously. Instead, it hinges on intent, effort, and the skills possessed by members.
Effective collaboration at the team level necessitates several crucial components: clear and efficient communication, proper instruction, mutual support among team members, and a pool of expertise that can be drawn upon as needed. Leadership is also required to facilitate the collaborative process. However, it's important to note that this leadership doesn't necessarily conform to traditional, formal leadership structures. In fact, in many team dynamics, there may be an absence of a designated leader. Instead, each team member has an equal opportunity to assume a leadership role as the project unfolds. This scenario is often described as emergent or shared leadership (Acton et al., 2019).
In shared leadership contexts, the leadership responsibility is distributed across the team members. It's a dynamic and adaptive approach where different team members may step into leadership roles based on their expertise, strengths, and the needs of the project. This shared leadership model can enhance collaboration by harnessing the collective intelligence and capabilities of the team, resulting in innovative solutions and more effective outcomes (Xie et al., 2021).
In this research endeavor, our primary objective is to delve into the intricate dynamics of shared leadership within teams during the Aggies Invent project. The Aggies Invent project, initiated by the Texas A&M University College of Engineering in 2014, serves as a unique co-curricular learning activity designed to offer students hands-on experience in solving real-world problems across diverse themes. This project provides a glimpse into the challenges and complexities they might encounter in their future professional lives, helping them transition seamlessly into the workplace (Boehm & Lagoudas, 2015).
During the intensive 48-hour Aggies Invent project, participating students gain access to a well-equipped maker facility, receive guidance from professional staff, engage with industry mentors, and utilize university library resources. Their ultimate goal is to collaboratively tackle a real-world problem chosen from a set of 12 and present their solution using PowerPoint slides. These presentations are rigorously evaluated by experts based on a comprehensive rubric encompassing various criteria.
To unravel the underlying behavioral patterns that emerge as shared leadership within these teams, our research employs a meticulous approach. We utilize video and audio recordings to scrutinize these patterns at a micro level, examining interactions second by second, essentially employing intensive sampling (Thelen & Corbetta, 2002). Our analysis aims to identify critical incidents throughout the team's collaborative process, scrutinize communication patterns (both verbal and nonverbal, including symbolic interactions like whiteboard usage), detect hindrances to effective communication (such as comments that impede sharing or the formation of clichés), and identify facilitate factors that enhance communication (e.g., demonstrating active listening, seeking input from team members, taking notes, encouraging participation from quieter members, and using facilitative language, among others).
We use video interaction analysis to identify the emergence of shared leadership. Video recordings have proven to be an invaluable resource in behavioral research (Tardiff et al., 1978; Wang & Lien, 2013; Baird, 2003) due to their replay capabilities, allowing for in-depth examinations of both verbal and nonverbal behaviors exhibited by the students.
In conjunction with video analysis, we also employ content analysis for transcriptions of the audio data, utilizing ATLAS.ti software. This approach facilitates the identification of key themes and significant events. Through these meticulous methods, we aim to shed light on the emergence and dynamics of shared leadership within the Aggies Invent project teams, contributing to a deeper understanding of collaborative leadership behaviors in this context. The results of this study will provide valuable insights into effective team management and leader development in the field of human resource development (HRD).