Is Perception Reality? Exploring the Interplay Between Actual and Perceived Design Interactions Across Virtual Teams

Abstract Effective collaboration is crucial for success in complex engineering endeavors, and understanding the collaborative dynamics within virtual teams remains essential. As the landscape of engineering continues to evolve, particularly with the increasing prevalence of hybrid teams and technology-mediated interactions, there is a pressing need to comprehend the intricacies of virtual collaboration. This study seeks to bridge this gap by investigating how actual collaborative dynamics and individual perceptions of collaborative efforts relate to collaborative behaviors in the context of engineering design in virtual settings. Data from experts in nondestructive evaluation (NDE) and design for additive manufacturing (DfAM) working on a multiobjective design in a virtual setting were analyzed using Spearman’s rank-order correlation analysis that revealed intriguing relationships between turn-taking, conversational dominance, and perceived contributions to design success. Further, hidden Markov models (HMMs) integrated with interaction dynamics notation (IDN) were constructed to delineate the nuanced interaction behaviors of “in-sync” and “out-of-sync” groups. Findings from this study highlight the importance of perception-driven synchronization within expert teams, particularly in virtual settings. Future research should focus on developing interventions to promote synchronization in virtual design collaboration, enhancing collaboration dynamics, and minimizing unproductive communication patterns.