Shared Leadership in Mechanical Engineering-Centric Capstone Design Teams: A Comparison of Military and Civilian Engineering Programs

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine institutional differences in the level of shared leadership enacted by senior-level capstone design teams within the mechanical engineering programs at two military and one civilian institution. This study specifically investigates institutional differences uncovered as a part of a larger study of shared leadership in undergraduate capstone design teams (see 12). This larger study sought to validate a model of leadership within the capstone design teams and further understand how sharing leadership related to team effectiveness. The current study specifically addressed the following research questions: RQ1: What level of variation in shared leadership is explained by institution versus military/civilian differences for mechanical engineering-centric capstone design teams? RQ2: What differences exist among mechanical engineering-centric capstone design teams from civilian and military institutions in shared leadership in terms of 1) the amount of leadership enacted, and 2) the level of leadership distribution within the teams?