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Professor Ph.D.
- The
Theory and Research Interests My research is directed by a theoretical
perspective that views organizations as dynamic systems of cross-level and
multilevel processes unfolding over time. Top-down processes operate
through organizational contexts by exerting influence on groups and
individuals, shaping their experiences, perceptions, and behavior. Bottom-up
processes emerge through individual cognition, affect, and behavior—and the
interactions among individuals—to create unique phenomena at the group and
organizational levels. Resulting organizational behavior within these systems
cuts across levels: people perceive the context and seek information to
interpret salient events, features, and processes comprising their settings;
they develop emergent systems of knowledge and meaning; and they adapt
accordingly. My primary research interests focus on the
processes by which individuals, teams, and organizations learn, develop, and
adapt. I have conducted research in several substantive areas that relate to
this theme over the course of my career. Early work focused on factors
influencing organizational change (technological innovation, organizational
downsizing), processes of individual adaptation (newcomer socialization,
organizational climate), and judgment (knowledge structures, judgment
accuracy). Over the last several years, my research
program has centered on developing theory and research findings to integrate
learning processes across the individual, team, and organizational levels.
Foci include: (1) active learning
techniques and technology based training; (2)
team training and learning, team leadership and development, and adaptive
performance; and (3) aligning
training and learning with the organizational system. The first area has been concerned with the
development of active learning techniques that stimulate mindful,
self-regulated learning and which can be deployed across distributed, remote
computer networks. One major characteristic of remote learning is that it
places more responsibility and control for learning in the hands of trainees,
yet research shows that learners are poor judges their own progress. Thus, a
key focus of this research has been on the effects of individual differences
in how learners actively interact with learning techniques, and how
technology-based training can be designed to adapt to learner characteristics
and to guide them to effective learning. The goal of the second area is to
generalize this work to team training contexts by establishing parallel
processes of team regulation, learning, and adaptability. Theoretical work
has focused on multilevel regulation of individual and team learning,
normative processes of team development that promote adaptability, and team
leadership. Empirical work has centered on validating a multiple goal,
multilevel model of regulation. The third area, at the organizational level,
has addressed theoretically how training activities interface with the
organizational system, and how the impact of training on organizational level
outcomes can be enhanced when training is appropriately aligned with key
organizational system characteristics. The purpose of these combined research
streams is to develop a theoretically based, application relevant foundation
for the design of active learning systems that promote continuous
learning for individuals, teams, and organizations. Current Projects
Research Streams
§ Kozlowski et al. (2000) Active Learning & Embedded Training Design § Kozlowski & Bell (2007) Distributed Learning System Design § Kozlowski et al. (2000) Mastery Training and Performance Adaptability § Kozlowski & Bell (2006) Achievement Orientation and Goal Setting § Bell & Kozlowski (2002) Adaptive Guidance § Bell & Kozlowski (2008) Active Learning and Adaptation § Bell & Kozlowski (2002) Goal Orientation and Cognitive Ability
Work Groups and
Teams in Organizations §
Kozlowski
& Bell (2003) Work Groups and Teams in Organizations §
Kozlowski
& Ilgen (2006) Enhancing the
Effectiveness of Work Groups and Teams Leadership, Team
Development and Adaptation §
Kozlowski &
Bell (2008)-Team Learning, Development, and Adaptation § DeShon, Kozlowski et al. (2004) Multiple Goal, Multilevel Regulation § Kozlowski et al. (1998)
Training and Developing Adaptive Teams: Theory, Principles, and Research § Kozlowski
et al. (1996) A Dynamic Theory of Leadership and Team Effectiveness § Kozlowski et al. (2009) Developing Adaptive Teams: A Theory of Dynamic Team Leadership §
Kozlowski
et al. (1996) Training Leaders and Teams: Theory, Principles, and Guidelines § Bell
& Kozlowski (2002) Virtual Teams & Leadership
§ Kozlowski
& Salas (1997) An Organizational Systems Approach
to Training Implementation and Transfer § Kozlowski
et al. (2000) A Multilevel Approach to Training Effectiveness:
Enhancing Horizontal and Vertical Transfer o
[click above to download a copy available from Wiley] § Kozlowski,
Chao, & Jensen (2009) Creating an Infrastructure for Organizational
Learning Editorial
Activities Editor,
Journal of Applied Psychology Editorial Team and Current Board of
Consulting Editors (Updates
are in progress) Tips for publishing in top-tier journals Editor
of the Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology; a volume in the Library of Psychology, Oxford
University Press More Information: Research Areas Work is evolving to become more complex: It
is information intensive, it is increasingly structured around teams rather
than individual jobs, and it frequently necessitates a capability to adapt to
shifting problems and tasks. These ongoing changes in the nature of work,
combined with the need to reduce costs, are prompting organizations to
promote learning in the workplace by harnessing computer-based technologies
(e.g., web-based training, e-learning, simulation-based training) to provide
training that is flexible to employee needs, widely accessible, and available
on demand. It is also prompting a focus on team learning and development, and
the role that team leaders can play in shaping team development and building
adaptive teams. My
current theory development and research activities center on these three
interrelated areas: Active learning, self-regulation, and training; team
learning, regulation and adaptive performance; and team leadership, development,
and adaptability. Active Learning, Self-Regulation, and
Training Work
in this area focuses on the psychological processes of self-regulation and
their central role in learning, performance, and adaptability. One aspect of
the research develops and evaluates active learning techniques that are
designed to selectively stimulate the focus and quality and self-regulatory
processes as a means to enhance learning, performance, and adaptability. A
related aspect seeks to more precisely map the psychological mechanisms
responsible for the positive effects of active learning techniques, and to
elaborate our theoretical framework. Finally, because we have developed
techniques that have the potential to be embedded in computer-based
technologies, another aspect of this research stream is concerned with
developing a theoretical framework to guide the design of distributed
learning systems. The research is conducted in the ADAPT Lab (Accelerated Development:
Adaptability, Performance, and Training). Team Learning, Regulation, and Adaptive
Performance A
distinct but related line of work (with Rick DeShon) seeks to understand how team
members collectively learn, regulate their effort and attention, and develop
adaptive performance capabilities. The challenge is that team learning and
performance are ultimately dependent on individual learning and performance.
This work examines the process of multiple goal regulation in which
individual dynamically allocate resources (attention and effort) to
accomplish both individual and team goals and, in so doing, instantiate a
process of dynamic self-regulation and an emergent parallel process of team
regulation. Our work is designed to disentangle these parallel processes and,
in particular, to better understand the factors that influence how
individuals optimally regulate around multiple goals in a team context. Our
research is conducted in the OPTIMA Lab (Optimal Performance in Teams:
Investigation, Modeling, and Analysis). Team Leadership, Development, and
Adaptability As
training is embedded in technology and pushed into the workplace and work is
restructured around teams, attention on improving the process of team
development naturally shifts to team leaders. Remarkably, however, there is
relatively little theory or research that focus on the unique roles of team
leaders in fostering development. This line of work has developed a normative
theory of adaptive team leadership that is concerned with how leaders can
harness natural variations in the dynamics of the team’s task engagement to
stimulate regulatory processes to build targeted skills, thereby shaping team
development and building adaptive capabilities. For
even more information, check out my
vita Contact me: Steve W. J. Kozlowski Department of Psychology 309 Psychology Building Voice: 517.353.8924 Fax: 517.353.4873 Email: stevekoz@msu.edu |
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