Anna Mayo, PhD
Assistant Professor of Organizational BehaviorCarnegie Mellon UniversityHeinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy Anna Mayo, PhD
Research Interests
Organizational Teamwork & CoordinationDynamic OrganizingHealthcare TeamsCollective IntelligenceResearch Interests
Overview
Teams have become the fundamental building blocks of many organizations. In modern organizations, team structures are becoming increasingly dynamic. Teams might come together temporarily to address an emergent need. Individuals also often contribute to multiple teams simultaneously, and may join and leave teams based on changing schedules and task requirements -- trends that allow expertise to be adaptively deployed where it's needed. Overall, the shift towards these more dynamic teams brings the potential for more agile work practices. However, dynamic teams face significant coordination challenges that could limit their collective intelligence. Team members don't have the stable relationships that can guide collaboration, and members are often pulled in different directions due to their involvement in various teams. Keeping track of who is part of a specific team (or who should be) is a constant challenge. These trends are prevalent across industries including professional services, healthcare, manufacturing, construction, education, and research. They are also likely to persist, raising questions about how to effectively support teamwork in these settings.Overview
My research aims to better understand and enhance effective teamwork, particularly in more-dynamic teams. I use a mixed-methods approach -- I collect data both in the laboratory and in the field, using experiments, surveys, archival data, and qualitative methods. I also study teams across a variety of field settings, thus far including hospital teams, retail banking sales teams, and inter-organizational teams. My research has been published in leading management and health care journals including Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Annals, Academy of Management Discoveries, Organization Science, New England Journal of Medicine and Health Care Management Review.
Prior to joining CMU's Heinz College in 2022 I worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow then Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School.
For additional details, see my Research and Publications page and my full CV.
Education
PhD, Organizational Behavior & Theory, Carnegie Mellon UniversityMS, Organizational Behavior & Theory, Carnegie Mellon UniversityBA, Psychology, Denison UniversityEducation