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This article studies a novel distributed precoding design, coined team minimum mean-square error (TMMSE) precoding, which rigorously generalizes classical centralized MMSE precoding to distributed operations based on transmitter-specific channel state information (CSIT). Building on the so-called theory of teams, we derive a set of necessary and sufficient conditions for optimal TMMSE precoding, in the form of an infinite dimensional linear system of equations. These optimality conditions are further specialized to cell-free massive MIMO networks, and explicitly solved for two important examples, i.e., the classical case of local CSIT and the case of unidirectional CSIT sharing along a serial fronthaul. The latter case is relevant, e.g., for the recently proposed radio stripe concept and the related advances on sequential processing exploiting serial connections. In both cases, our optimal design outperforms the heuristic methods that are known from the previous literature. Duality arguments and numerical simulations validate the effectiveness of the proposed team theoretical approach in terms of ergodic achievable rates under a sum-power constraint.

We study the information flows that arise among a set of agents with local knowledge and directed payoff interactions, which differ among pairs of agents. First, we study the equilibrium of a game where, before making decisions, agents can invest in pairwise active communication (speaking) and pairwise passive communication (listening). This leads to a full characterization of information and influence flows. Second, we show that when the coordination motive dominates the adaptation motive, the influence of an agent on all his peers is approximately proportional to his eigenvector centrality. Third, we use our results to explain organizational phenomena such as the emergence of work "cliques," the adoption of human resources practices that foster communication (especially active communication), and the discrepancy between formal hierarchy and actual influence.

Teams are the foundational building blocks of the military, which uses a hierarchical structure built on and around teams to form larger units. Consequently, team effectiveness has been a substantial focus of research within the military for decades to ensure military teams have the human capabilities to complete their missions and address future challenges successfully. This research has contributed greatly to broader team theory and informed the development of evidence-based interventions. Team-focused research supported or executed by the military has yielded major insights into the nature of team performance, advanced the methods for measuring and improving team performance, and broken new ground in understanding the assembly of effective teams. Furthermore, military research has made major contributions to advancing methodological and statistical techniques for studying teams. We highlight the military contributions to the broader team literature and conclude with a discussion of critical areas of future research on teams and enduring challenges for both the military and team science as a whole. (PsycINFO Database Record

We consider the “single-letter” (“one-shot” or “zero-delay”) source-channel coding of a sensor's measurements in the presence of two channels as a constrained team decision theory problem. Under a global power constraint and quadratic distortion measure, the action space of coding strategies is restricted to on-off (transmission or silence) decisions. The latter are communicated to the decoder through a binary side channel, whereas in case of transmission the uncoded analog measurement is sent over the main communication channel between the transmitter and the receiver. By further restrictions on the behavior of the encoder, suboptimal team control strategies are derived in closed form, along with their parameters that stem from a numerical optimization problem. The distortion of the resulting strategy is compared with other schemes under non-Gaussian source and noise.

In a major IT development organization, individuals were too often working alone and sub-optimizing. Their performance was not anywhere near the desired level. Analysis indicated that this was due to a number of common factors which lacked attention. To address this, a framework with eight factors grounded in cross-disciplinary theory was developed and evaluated in the organization. It emerged that a self-assessment approach to the eight factors, coupled with training in team theory and facilitated workshops can provide significant value. In the paper, we present the overall framework and details of how to apply it. Furthermore, we present relevant examples and lessons learned. We conclude that you can “bootstrap” yourself to become a higher performing team through facilitated self-assessments using the eight factors.

In this paper, we establish the existence of team-optimal policies for static teams and a class of sequential dynamic teams. We first consider the static team problems and show the existence of optimal policies under certain regularity conditions on the observation channels by introducing a topology on the set of policies. Then we consider sequential dynamic teams and establish the existence of an optimal policy via the static reduction method of Witsenhausen. We apply our findings to the well-known counterexample of Witsenhausen and the Gaussian relay channel problem., 9 pages, double column

Energy systems of the future are envisaged to encompass multiple interacting autonomous entities. The theory of games provides the foundations for the design and analysis of such systems. This paper reviews models and results that would be of use for such analysis. Classically, games have involved players whose strategies are coupled only through the dependence of utility functions on strategies of other players. However, in many practical settings in the energy domain, system-level limitations bind the choices players can make. In 1965, Rosen (Econometrica33, 520–534 (doi:10.2307/1911749)) pioneered the study of a class of games where there is a common constraint, called ashared constraint, that couples the strategies available to the players. We discuss how this seemingly benign extension has important ramifications, ranging from the very definition of an equilibrium concept, to other key issues such as existence, uniqueness and efficiency of equilibria. We show how the presence of a shared constraint naturally leads to notions of a price and forms the motivations for more recent models. Although most of the paper has the character of a survey, occasionally we also prove new results.This article is part of the themed issue ‘Energy management: flexibility, risk and optimization’.

The manuscript “The study of organizational behavior in family business” (this issue), contends “FBs have been largely overlooked in the organizational behavior literature,” yet family businesses are argued to be unique because of the behavioural influence of one particular group—the family. Indeed the authors argue that the very nature of family relationships is at the essence of what makes family firms unique from other organizational forms. This research paradox of the very need for behavioural understanding, contrasted with the lack of organizational behaviour (OB) research in family firms, is both interesting and puzzling. The authors provide excellent guidance on how the field of OB can be used to explore these behavioural influences from the perspective of four relevant topics: values and goals, leadership and power, trust and justice, and conflict. To extend and further the discussion of OB, this commentary introduces the concepts and theories related to teams, to further explore the unique contex...

в статье обсуждается проблема, связанная с необходимостью актуализации в широкой образовательной практике идеи развития процесса коллективообразования детских сообществ в различных по типу образовательных организациях и технологий коллективного творческого воспитания школьников. Автором подчёркивается, что в настоящее время в системе отечественного образования задачам формирования школьного ученического коллектива (коллектива учащихся класса) не уделяется должного внимания. В организации жизнедеятельности образовательных организаций многими администрациями и педагогическими коллективами школ данное направление работы не определяется как одно из основных в решении профессиональных задач в ходе специально организуемого педагогического процесса. В статье определяется, что детским ученическим коллективам в теории и практике отечественного школьного образования всегда придавалось большое значение, однако на современном этапе развития системы отечественного образования данное направление работы является незаслуженно забытым и недооценённым. Оптимизация деятельности школ по развитию детских ученических коллективов на современном этапе модернизации образовательной политики государства определяется исследователем как ключевая педагогическая цель, способствующая повышению качества функционирования каждой образовательной организации., The article discusses the problem associated with the need updating in general educational practice the idea development process kollektivoobrazovaniya children's communities in various types of educational institutions and technology collective of creative education in schools. The author emphasizes that the current system of national education objectives of formation of school-student team (team graders) have been neglected.

This paper attempts to draw on management theory and practice and, more specifically, on know-how from the study of teamwork, to seek insights into enhancing the effectiveness of hospital ethics committees and clinical ethics committees (CECs), with the aim of contributing to heath-care organizations’ effective and efficient decision-making and operation. Based on an analysis of the obstacles that stand in the way of ethics committees’ (ECs’) efficient functioning, five specific conditions for EC success are brought forth. A couple of practical tools for their attainment are proposed. The article suggests that the construction of those committees, as well as the working procedures that may render them effective, should be flexible and made adaptable to the specific assignment or case, which is dealt with by that committee, at the time; and that the optimal set of procedures to adopt, throughout the working sessions of ECs, are those which will gear the committee with the means to contribute to the eventual materializing and finalization of a quality and practical set of decisions; for the benefit of patients, their families, health-care organizations and the community, alike.

The importance of teamwork on patient safety in healthcare has been well established. However, the theory and research of healthcare teams are seriously lacking in clinical application. While conventional team theory assumes that teams are stable and leadership is constant, a growing body of evidence indicates that most healthcare teams are unstable and lack constant leadership. For healthcare organizations to reduce error and ensure patient safety, the true nature of healthcare teams must be better understood. This study presents a taxonomy of healthcare teams and the determinants of high reliability in healthcare teams based on a series of studies undertaken over a five-year period (2005–2010).

THERE'S A LOT OF TALK about team theory and multidisciplinary strategies for getting work done, but what's the reality regarding the interaction among different organizational functions? Based on a study of actual projects, Eric Olson has developed data on design's integration with three key business activities, and then used that information to make specific recommendations for improving interdisciplinary cooperation.

Top management team theory (TMTT) has been researching on the relationship between top management team (TMT) and organization outcome through demographic characteristic and its heterogeneity. As the researcher failed to solve the “black box” problem, they get no consistent findings. Power perspective of TMTT will help out of the research predicament, so to focus on combing and assessing the TMT power, demographic characteristic based TMTT research and TMT team process. Based on the early research works, new research framework of power-based TMTT and future research suggestions are proposed.

In this paper, we empirically investigate the concept of trust across organizational work practices by examining three groups: within the team, between teams and when interacting with technology. This study adopts Repertory Grid methodology as an interview based technique to elicit important constructs of trust to engineering teams working in two organizations within the energy distribution industry. Thirteen key constructs of trust were identified using content analysis. Drawing on the understanding gained, this paper discusses the implications for theories on trust within teams working with technology across organizations and provides a grounded perspective that could be used as a basis for further research.

Este artículo propone una taxonomía de casos observados de redes de pymes según se asemejen más a una actividad de trabajo en equipo o a la provisión de un bien club, es decir, un nuevo enfoque metodológico para analizar las redes de empresas desde el punto de vista de ambas teorías que complementa otras líneas teóricas. Esta propuesta no solo amplía la literatura sino que puede servir como herramienta para desarrollar las empresas y las redes. Primero hace una breve revisión de las teorías de clubes y de equipos. Luego sistematiza la información de algunas experiencias de redes de empresas de Argentina y Brasil según una u otra, o ambas. Después establece algunas dimensiones que se deben considerar cuando se interpreta una red de acuerdo con estas teorías. El análisis de los casos sugiere un nuevo marco teórico para analizar la cooperación y hacer breves recomendaciones de política. Fil: Alderete, Maria Veronica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Investigaciones Económicas y Sociales del Sur. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Economía. Instituto de Investigaciones Económicas y Sociales del Sur; Argentina

This paper is concerned with the optimization of systems that are controlled by several teams of decision makers. The decision makers within each team cooperate for the benefit of their team. On the other hand, the teams compete among themselves in order to achieve an objective that relates to the overall performance of the system. An approach that merges concepts from team theory and game theory for dealing with such systems and a solution called the noninferior Nash strategy are introduced. This multi-team solution provides a new framework for analyzing hierarchically controlled systems so as to address complicated coordination problems among the decision makers. The properties of the noninferior Nash solution in static multi-team systems are investigated and necessary conditions for its existence are derived. Analytical expressions for the noninferior Nash strategies are derived for a class of linear-quadratic static multi-team games. In order to deal with the issue of nonuniqueness of the solution, the concept of a noninferior Nash strategy with a team leader is introduced. Several examples are presented to illustrate the results.

This essay attempts to articulate and advance a long-term agenda for organizational economics. The essay begins with a general discussion of four specific items on this agenda, and then moves to a more specific discussion of decision-making in organizations--beginning with two polar-opposite conceptions (team theory and garbage cans) and then describing several recent economic models. Part of the rationale for writing this essay is that this agenda has both substantive and methodological commonalities with the work of James March. Copyright 2003, Oxford University Press.

An estimation setting is considered, where a number of sensors transmit their observations of a physical phenomenon, described by one or more random variables, to a sink over noisy communication channels. The goal is to minimize a quadratic distortion measure (Minimum Mean Square Error - MMSE) under a global power constraint on the sensors’ transmissions. Linear MMSE encoders and decoders, parametrically optimized in encoders’ gains, Shannon–Kotel’nikov mappings, and nonlinear parametric functional approximators (neural networks) are investigated and numerically compared, highlighting subtle differences in sensitivity and achievable performance.

We study the information flows that arise among a set of agents with local knowledge and directed payoff interactions, which differ among pairs of agents. First, we study the equilibrium of a game where, before making decisions, agents can invest in pairwise active communication (speaking) and pairwise passive communication (listening). This leads to a full characterization of information and influence flows. Second, we show that when the coordination motive dominates the adaptation motive, the influence of an agent on all his peers is approximately proportional to his eigenvector centrality. Third, we use our results to explain organizational phenomena such as the emergence of work "cliques," the adoption of human resources practices that foster communication (especially active communication), and the discrepancy between formal hierarchy and actual influence.

We study the information flows that arise among a set of agents with local knowledge and directed payoff interactions, which differ among pairs of agents. First, we study the equilibrium of a game where, before making decisions, agents can invest in pairwise active communication (speaking) and pairwise passive communication (listening). This leads to a full characterization of information and influence flows. Second, we show that when the coordination motive dominates the adaptation motive, the influence of an agent on all his peers is approximately proportional to his eigenvector centrality. Third, we use our results to explain organizational phenomena such as the emergence of work “cliques,” the adoption of human resources practices that foster communication (especially active communication), and the discrepancy between formal hierarchy and actual influence.

A team problem is a stochastic decision problem with two or more decision makers. The decision is only taken once, there is no time axis as in control theory. The teams strive to optimize a common objective function but have different information to reach their decisions. The team wants to determine an optimum, the global optimum if it exists. To achieve at an optimum, they use the concept of a person-by-person or person-by-person equilibrium. The main problem of team theory is then to determined conditions under which a person-by-person equilibrium is also an optimum or the global optimum, and to compute a person-by-person equilibrium. This chapter restricts attention to what is called static team theory and does not discuss at length dynamic team theory.

This paper addresses a distributed control problem faced by a network of virtual power plants (VPPs). The VPP can be represented as a distributed energy management system tasked to aggregate distributed generations (DGs), loads and storage facilities to operate as a unique power plants regardless of their locations. In this framework, the main decisions that need to be established by the VPP decision maker are: 1) to decide how to fulfill its related electric demand including bilateral contracts and 2) to bid in multi-level negotiation schemes to minimize (maximize) in a cooperative way the power bought (sold) from (to) other interconnected VPPs. The proposed approach is based on a team theory framework and on dynamic price mechanism, where all VPPs' agents cooperate on the accomplishment of a common goal which is function of the subsystem state and of some controls which are shared with other subsystems. A distributed control strategy is proposed, and that includes problems in which each agent is able to communicate with other agents. Agents of the VPPs compute the control inputs at discrete time steps based on the information available to them. An example is presented to show the practical use of the method.