Editorial

摘要

The scale and complexity of engineering problems has grown considerably in recent decades and now, more so than ever, systems are engineered in collaborative teams. Moreover, discipline and domain knowledge are not sufficient to ensure effective collaboration across a diverse team, especially considering the numerous dimensions of diversity (engineers and non-engineers; multi- and inter-disciplinary teams; cultural, cognitive and ethnic diversity; etc.). In addition, some have theorised that personality traits, cognitive preferences, affective differences and disparate cultural norms variously contribute to team dysfunction and disharmony, and that pro-active measures are necessary to overcome this heterogeneity of thought, perception, interest and capacity. Thus, the importance of team and collaborative research to determine effective proactive measures is important and widely recognised. In this special issue, we will explore new insights in topics related to teamwork and, in particular, student teams. These insights will be helpful to both instructors who employ student teams and to the team members themselves. The overarching goal of the collective research is more effective teamwork.