Future long-distance space exploration (LDSE) missions will challenge the frontiers of human collaboration. Like the polar expeditions led by Amundsen and Scott, space exploration will require extreme teamwork characterized by a “lack of novelty, and the social stresses encountered by a collection of heterogeneous strangers in developing a distinct microculture adapted to this unusual human situation (Natani & Shurley, 1974, p. 89). Prevailing team effectiveness models suggest that teams are best positioned for success when certain enabling conditions are in place (Hackman, 1987; Hackman, 2012; Mathieu, Maynard, Rapp, & Gilson, 2008; Wageman, Hackman, & Lehman, 2005). Team composition, or the configuration of member attributes, is a key enabling structure for teamwork (Hackman, 2002; Wageman et al., 2005). In fact, the composition of the space crew will be perhaps the largest leverage point for mitigating the team risk.

Our research aims to:

  1. identify the effects of team composition on team functioning in LDSE and the critical team composition factors driving this effect
  2. identify particular patterns of team functioning with different team compositions
  3. identify methods, best practices, and technologies that improve team functioning and performance through team composition
  4. develop a predictive team composition model for use in composing teams and identify potential issues with already composed teams, and
  5. provide recommendations for composing teams for LDSE.
  • Noshir Contractor, Northwestern University
  • Suzanne Bell, DePaul University
  • Leslie DeChurch, Northwestern University

Research Associate

  • Alina Lungeanu, Northwestern University

Graduate Student Researchers:

  • Brennan Antone, Northwestern University
  • Jake Weiss, DePaul University
  • Neal Outland, DePaul University
  • Zachary Gibson, Northwestern University
  • Lindsay Larson, Northwestern University

Larson, L. E. & DeChurch, L.A. (2018, April). A qualitative examination of informal leadership emergence in space teams. In Larson, L.E., & Asencio, R. (co-chairs), Qualitative Perspectives on 21st Century Teams. Symposium to be conducted at the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) Annual Conference, Chicago, IL.

Burns, T., Antone, W., Weiss, J., Larson, L., Bell, S., & DeChurch, L. (2018, January). Identity in isolation: How teams bond or break. Poster presented at the NASA Human Research Program Investigators’ Workshop, Galveston, TX.

Contractor, N.S., DeChurch, L.A., Antone, W.B., Twyman, M., Gibson, Z.M., Sawant, A., Gado, H., & Bell, S.T. (2018, January). Teamstar: Tool for evaluating and mitigating space team risk. Paper presented at the NASA Human Research Program Investigators’ Workshop, Galveston, TX.

Gokhman, I., Larson, L., DeChurch, L., Bell, S., & Contractor, N. (2018, January). Tracking crew performance over time. Poster presented at the NASA Human Research Program Investigators’ Workshop, Galveston, TX.

Niler, A., Gibson, Z. M., & DeChurch, L.A. (2017, August). The social forces behind leadership network formation in multiteam systems. Paper presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA.

Larson L. E., Jones B. R., & DeChurch, L.A. (2017, August). Language, leadership, and identity construction in multiteam systems. Paper accepted at Academy of Management Conference, Atlanta, GA.

Larson, L. E., Gomez-Zara, D., Jones, B. R., DeChurch, L. A., Contractor, N.S. (2017, July). Social identity, social identification, and intergroup leadership. Paper presented at the annual conference for the Interdisciplinary Network for Group Research (INGRoup), Saint Louis, MO.

Gomez-Zara, D., Larson, L. E., Jones, B. R., DeChurch, L. A., & Contractor, N. S. (2017, July). Leadership and followership emergence in NASA space crews. Paper presented at the WebScience Summer School 2017, Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Ng, J., Antone, B., Gibson, Z., Bell, S., DeChurch, L., & Contractor, N. (2017, April). Crew recommender for effective work in space. In DeChurch, L. (chair), Bell, S. (co-chair), & Contractor, N. (co-chair), Exploring new frontiers: Building better teams on Earth and beyond. Symposium accepted at the 32nd Annual Conference of the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Orlando, FL.

Larson L. E., Jones B. R., & DeChurch, L.A. (2017, January). Leadership emergence in space multiteam systems. Presentation accepted at NASA Human Research Program Investigators’ Workshop, Houston, TX.

Contractor, N. S., Gokhman, I. A., Larson, L .E., Bell, S .T., DeChurch, L. A. (2017, January). Leadership networks in space crews. Poster presented at the NASA Human Research Program Investigators’ Workshop, Galveston, TX.

Bedwell, W.L., Bell, S.T., Contractor, N.S., Fiore, S.M., Kozlowski, S.W.J., Salas, E., Tannenbaum, S.I. (2016, April). Organizing that’s out of this world! In Larson, L. E., Jones, B.R., & DeChurch, L.A. (co-chairs), Ignite and Panel Discussion. Panel conducted at the 31st Annual Conference of the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Anaheim, CA.

The material is based upon work supported by NASA under award No. NNX15AM32G. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.