A QUANTITATIVE APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING COLLABORATION AND SUCCESS IN AN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE TEAM

Author

Michelle Crowder Terwilliger

Year of Award

2025

Document Type

Dissertation - Campus Access Only

Degree Type

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Degree Name

Forest and Conservation Science

Department or School/College

W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation

Committee Chair

Elizabeth Covelli Metcalf

Commitee Members

Brian C. Chaffin, John Chandler, Theresa M. Floyd, Alexander L. Metcalf

Keywords

Collaboration, Environmental Science, Identification, Satisfaction, Social Network Analysis, Success

Abstract

This dissertation explores collaboration and success in the context of scientific research. Researchers are frequently collaborating in large teams across institutions and disciplines. Integrating diverse expertise and sharing resources provides opportunities and also presents numerous challenges. There is an established need to better understand the factors involved in successful collaboration for large science teams. The research in this dissertation addresses this knowledge gap in our understanding of collaboration and success in scientific research.

This dissertation presents a case study of a large scientific research team in the environmental sciences. I collected data over the course of a five-year project by survey questionnaire and from administrative records. The research approach is quantitative and pairs attitudinal data with social network analysis and archival data in a longitudinal study. I use frameworks and constructs adapted from organizational behavior, natural resource conservation, and science of team science to explore the relationship between collaboration and success.

Chapter 1 provides an introduction and overview of the conceptual framework and research approach. Chapter 2 describes the methods used for this research, including a description of the research setting, sample, and data collection activities.

Chapter 3 explores outcomes and antecedents for research collaboration. I adapt a twodimensional framework for team effectiveness from organizational behavior and examine productivity and satisfaction as proxies for success in collaborative research. I test two models that relate collaboration process to outcomes. Process variables are trust in team-members, identification with the project, and network position; models controlled for role on the project. Results indicate that satisfaction is useful as a proxy for success. Identification emerged as an influential factor in relation to our outcome variables and merits further investigation.

Chapter 4 asks whether publication co-authorships are a good proxy for research collaboration. Social network analysis (SNA) is a useful tool for studying collaboration and publication co-authorships are often used as a data source for SNA studies of scientific collaboration. This chapter examines the accuracy of this practice for our case study. I compare whole-network characteristics of a co-authorship network of case-study participants with a collaboration network generated from a survey of participants. Results show the co-authorship network to be substantially smaller in size and less cohesive than the collaboration network generated through self-report of interaction by project participants, suggesting that peer-reviewed publications do not recognize some of the contributions to collaborative research.

Chapter 5 explores the change in collaboration over time for a large scientific research team. I use social network data on the frequency of interaction between project participants at three different points in time, collected by survey questionnaire. I examine how the difference in collaborative engagement between participants over time is influenced by participants’ identification with the project. Results indicate that identification with the project is positively related to the persistence of collaborative relationships over time. This is of practical importance for evaluation and project management and these findings suggest value in cultivating social identity to the project for scientific research collaborations.

Finally, Chapter 6 provides a conclusion and recommendations for future research.

Recommended Citation

Terwilliger, Michelle Crowder, "A QUANTITATIVE APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING COLLABORATION AND SUCCESS IN AN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE TEAM" (2025). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 12546.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/12546