Abstract
The use of teamwork by organizations helps in achieving common goals by executing projects faster and generating the required innovative solutions. The world is moving to the work model of using teams in engineering projects. The individual members are expected to collaborate and integrate their knowledge and skills to perform duties in projects. The effectiveness of the team is measured by the team’s ability to bond socially and professionally, perform their tasks timeously, to the required quality and within the resources provided to them.
Team development and cohesion are not always guaranteed as challenges occur at both team and management levels, leading to the teams being ineffective. Human behaviour in a work team can affect the effectiveness of the work team throughout the entire life of a project. This dissertation looks at the challenges experienced by engineering teams members, struggling to collaborate and integrate. A literature review was done and then a questionnaire survey was conducted online. This was quantitative research with a deductive research approach. Convenience sampling was used depending on which engineers were available during the time of data collection.
From the literature review, fourteen challenges were identified and listed as the most common challenges faced by engineering teams face; and these formed the basis of the survey. The results revealed patterns and perceptions from the participants which matched the findings and propositions from the literature. Nine common challenges were confirmed which negatively affect the team effectiveness. Strategies were identified and recommended to mitigate these challenges.
Keywords: engineering teams, multidisciplinary, team challenges and team effectiveness.