TY - JOUR
T1 - Exploring the dynamic interactions and cognitive characteristics of NSF innovation corps (I-Corps) teams
AU - Jablokow, Kathryn Weed
AU - Sonalkar, Neeraj
AU - Avdeev, Ilya
AU - Thompson, Brian D.
AU - Megahed, Mohamed M.
AU - Pachpute, Pratik Subhash
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was funded by the National Science Foundation through ESD Grants #1635437 and #1635386, as well as NSF I-Corps" Sites Program Grant #1450386.
Funding Information:
In 2011, the National Science Foundation established the NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps™) program to prepare scientists and engineers to extend their efforts beyond university laboratories and to help them accelerate the economic and societal benefits of NSF-funded research projects that are ready to move toward commercialization [30, 31]. Each NSF I-Corps™ team has three primary members: an Academic Lead, an Entrepreneurial Lead, and an I-Corps™ Mentor. All three participate in I-Corps™ training, which provides real world, hands-on immersive learning about potential customers, product-market fit, and other elements of a business model [5]. To date, more than 1,000 academic teams have completed the canonical I-Corps™ curriculum delivered by the I-Corps™ nodes, with various degrees of commercialization success. Many more teams have completed abridged I-Corps™ training delivered through the I-Corps™ sites. A given team’s success depends on many external factors, such as the entrepreneurial and investment ecosystems that impact them, as well as easy access to customers [5]; we believe that internal (team) factors may be equally important. In fact, the internal structure of I-Corps™ teams is shared by I-Corps™ teams across the country, so any insights gained about the influence of team composition, cognitive characteristics, and/or interaction dynamics will be broadly applicable, regardless of the external factors at play.
Funding Information:
This research was funded by the National Science Foundation through ESD Grants #1635437 and #1635386, as well as NSF I-Corps™ Sites Program Grant #1450386.
Publisher Copyright:
© American Society for Engineering Education, 2018.
PY - 2018/6/23
Y1 - 2018/6/23
N2 - In this pilot study, we used the Interaction Dynamics Notation (IDN), originally designed for use with engineering design teams, to explore the dynamic interactions of five NSF I-Corps" teams engaged in a simple design activity. Our aim was to relate these interaction data to selected cognitive characteristics of the team members, as well as team design outcomes and individual perceptions related to the experience. The individual cognitive characteristics we assessed focused on cognitive style, as measured by the Kirton Adaption-Innovation inventory (KAI), while team outcomes included the novelty, usefulness, and feasibility of each team's design solutions, as well as their success within and beyond the NSF I-Corps" program. Our findings show that the Interaction Dynamics Notation (IDN) can be readily extended to the study of entrepreneurial teams, with important insights gained from the combined study of interaction dynamics, individual cognitive characteristics as measured by KAI, and team outcomes. The results of this study demonstrate the feasibility and value of this approach for investigating the dynamic interactions of NSF I-Corps" teams, as well as product-focused design teams in general.
AB - In this pilot study, we used the Interaction Dynamics Notation (IDN), originally designed for use with engineering design teams, to explore the dynamic interactions of five NSF I-Corps" teams engaged in a simple design activity. Our aim was to relate these interaction data to selected cognitive characteristics of the team members, as well as team design outcomes and individual perceptions related to the experience. The individual cognitive characteristics we assessed focused on cognitive style, as measured by the Kirton Adaption-Innovation inventory (KAI), while team outcomes included the novelty, usefulness, and feasibility of each team's design solutions, as well as their success within and beyond the NSF I-Corps" program. Our findings show that the Interaction Dynamics Notation (IDN) can be readily extended to the study of entrepreneurial teams, with important insights gained from the combined study of interaction dynamics, individual cognitive characteristics as measured by KAI, and team outcomes. The results of this study demonstrate the feasibility and value of this approach for investigating the dynamic interactions of NSF I-Corps" teams, as well as product-focused design teams in general.
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M3 - Conference article
AN - SCOPUS:85051214679
VL - 2018-June
JO - ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Conference Proceedings
JF - ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Conference Proceedings
SN - 2153-5965
T2 - 125th ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition
Y2 - 23 June 2018 through 27 December 2018
ER -