Communication and learning in teams

Learning on the individual, team, and organizational levels enables organizations to adapt to dynamic markets. As more work than ever is assigned to team structures we focus on team learning of which we conceive as an increase in the collective level of abilities and skills or a change in the range of the team's potential behaviors through reflection and communication. As opposed to the action part, the reflective part of learning is very important because it enables the transfer of knowledge and insight into causal connections from one team member to another. Without reflection it is impossible for team members to benefit from the knowledge and skills of their team colleagues. In our research, we are interested to know how teams learn, which conditions promote learning and how learning is related to performance in different task contexts.

Collaboration:
Prof. Dr. John Carroll, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Prof. Dr. Daniel Scheidegger, Universitätsspital Basel

Publications:

• Herre, C. & Klumb, P. L. (in prep.) Learning in teams.

Master theses:

• Dierauer, Denise. Der Einfluss von Führungsverhalten auf Gruppenprozesse.
• Kleiss, Beate. Kommunikative Kompetenz im Krankenhaus
• Steele, Patti. The relationship between paraverbal behaviors, perspective taking and shift-handover effectiveness among medical residents

Doctor-patient interaction

Talking to a physician about one's own health or that of a close other can be a stressful experience. In our field research, we investigate which characteristics of doctors' communication behaviour reduce patients' stress symptoms and enhance the amount of information they take home from the dialogue.

Collaboration:
Dr. Johannes Wildhaber, Kantonsspital Fribourg

Publications:

• Gemmiti, M. et al. (in prep.) Pediatrician communication behavior and parents' well-being.

Master theses:

• Marina Brühlmann. Kommunikation von Kinderärzten.

Communication and leadership

Although leadership is seen as a key factor regarding team performance, we know surprisingly little about how supervisors lead teams in an effective way. Therefore in our research, we investigate the behaviours team leaders have to perform to maintain team processes and team performance and more specifically, how leaders can create a team climate that fosters learning and innovation within teams. Moreover, we seek to identify costs and benefits of different leadership behaviors. To achieve these objectives, we employ both experimental and field studies to gain insights into teams processes and contribute to existing knowledge on how to lead teams that are efficient and within which team members thrive at the same time.

Collaboration:
Dr. Christiane Herre, Manres, Zürich

Publications:

• Herre, C. & Klumb, P. L. (submitted) The influence of leadership behavior on active compared to passive followerhip in teams. Results of two experimental studies.

Master theses:

• Gemmiti, Marco. Transformational leadership and team performance: The role of team climate.
• Munz, Michael Alexander. Validierung der deutschen Übersetzung des Empowering Leadership Questionnaires.
• Blaser, Karin.
• Schaffner, Jana.

Social Evaluative Stress

The origins of stress are more and more based in our social environment. Individuals in professions that require to speak or perform publicly (e.g., musicians, actors, and athletes) are particularly exposed to evaluations by others. Most of us show stress reactions when they perform badly in front of other people but some are more vulnerable to this than others and react more strongly. Therefore, it is of theoretical and practical interest to know more about these processes that can be a threat to a person's health and career success. With time-sampling methods, we investigate correlates and consequences of social evaluative threat in the field.

Collaboration:
Dr. Patrick Gomez, Institut Universitaire Romand de Santé et Travail

Daily Experiences of Dual-Earner Couples

Utilizing micro-longitudinal designs, we investigate the daily lives of working parents. With time- and event-sampling techniques, we extend existing work-family research in four ways: (1) Instead of assessing predictors and criteria via self reports, we use a multi-method approach including physiological data, (2) we have broadened our focus from the individual to the social level, i.e., the couple, (3) we examine processes (e.g., goal pursuit), and (4) instead of focusing on paid work, we consider different roles and life-spheres and assess stress and recovery processes.

Collaboration:
Prof. Dr. Christiane Hoppmann, University of British Columbia, Vancouver

Publications:

• Ditzen, B., Hoppmann, C. A. & Klumb, P. L. (2008). Positive couple interactions and daily cortisol: On the stress-protecting role of intimacy. Psychosomatic Medicine, 70, 883-889.
• Hoppmann, C. A., & Klumb, P. L. (2006). Daily goal pursuits predict cortisol secretion and mood states in employed parents with preschool children. Psychosomatic Medicine, 68, 887-894.
• Klumb, P. L., Hoppmann, C. A. & Staats, M. (2006). Division of labor in German dual-earner families: Testing equity-theoretical hypotheses. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 68, 870-882.
• Klumb, P. L., Hoppmann, C. A. & Staats, M. (2006). Work hours affect spouse's cortisol secretion-For better and for worse. Psychosomatic Medicine, 68, 742-746.Master theses:

Master theses:

• Muck, Kerstin. Persönliche Ziele und subjektives Wohlbefinden bei berufstätigen Eltern - Hat das Geschlechtsrollenselbstkonzept einen Einfluss?
• Pürro, Corinne. Arbeitsbedingungen und langfristige Indikatoren des Wohlbefindens.
• Walther, Claudia. Stressprotektion durch soziale Unterstützung.

Activities and Well-Being Across the Life Course

Collaboration:
Dr. Heiner Maier, Max-Planck-Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock
Prof. Dr. Michael Marsiske, University of Florida, Gainesville

Publications:

• Klumb, P. L. (2004). Benefits from productive and consumptive activities. Social Indicators Research, 67, 107-127.
• Klumb, P. L. & Baltes, M. M. (1999). Time use of old and very old Berliners: Productive and consumptive activities as functions of resources. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 54B, S271-S278.
• Klumb, P. L. & Lampert, T. (2004). Women, work, and well-being. A review and methodological critique. Social Science & Medicine, 58, 1007-1024.
• Klumb, P. L. & Maier, H. (2007). Daily activities and survival at older ages. Journal of Aging and Health, 19, 594-611.
• Maier, H. & Klumb, P. L. (2005). Social participation and survival at older ages: Is the effect driven by activity content or context? European Journal of Ageing, 2, 31-39.
• Marsiske, M., Klumb, P. L. & Baltes, M. M. (1997). Everyday activity patterns and sensory functioning in old age. Psychology and Aging, 12, 444-457.

Non-Cognitive Skills

Psychologists and economists recently became interested in non-cognitive skills (such as self-regulation, social competence) as predictors of educational and occupational outcomes. These characteristics underlie considerable change over time. In our group, we are interested in methods of assessing and developing non-cognitive skills, particularly social skills. At the moment, we are assessing critical incidents in different professions.

Collaboration:
Prof. Dr. Klaus-Dieter Hänsgen, University of Fribourg

Master theses:

• Indermaur, Kathrin. Wandel der Leistungsvoraussetzungen bei älteren Berufs- und Studienberatenden. Preis der Pro Senectute.
• Keller, Barbara. Emotionsarbeit bei Führungskräften.
• Schwizer, Roger. Wandel der Leistungsvoraussetzungen bei älteren Mitarbeitenden.
• Steffen, Martin. Berufsspezifische Sozialkompetenzen von Ärzten.
• Marty, Jonas. Sozialkompetenz von Ärzten in zwischenmenschlich schwierigen Situationen mit Patienten.
• Oertli, Philippe. Explorative Studie zur Erhebung zwischenmenschlich schwieriger Situationen im Artzberuf: Ein erster Schritt auf dem Weg zur Entwicklung eines Instruments, für die Messung sozialer Kompetenzen bei Medizinern.

Time-Sampling Techniques

Publications:

• Klumb, P. L. & Baltes, M. M. (1999). Validity of retrospective time-use reports in old age. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 13, 527-539.
• Klumb, P. L., Elfering, A., & Herre, C (2009). Ambulatory-assessment studies in industrial and organizational psychology. European Psychologist, 14(2), 120-131.
• Klumb, P. L. & Perrez, M. (2004). Why time-sampling studies can enrich work-leisure research. Introduction to the Special Issue on Intensive Time Sampling of work and leisure activities. Social Indicators Research, 67, 1-10.

Master theses:

• Kusma, Bianca. Einflüsse auf die Compliance berufstätiger Paare in einer Zeitstichprobenstudie.