Date of Award
8-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Industrial-Organizational Psychology
Committee Chair/Advisor
Dr. Allison Traylor
Committee Member
Dr. Marissa Shuffler
Committee Member
Dr. Patrick Rosopa
Committee Member
Dr. Chris Flathmann
Abstract
Team development interventions (e.g., team charters) are systematic activities designed to improve team competencies and processes with the goal of improving overall effectiveness and related outcomes. However, with the growing prevalence of human-autonomy teams, less is known about the effects of team development interventions when an artificial intelligence (AI) agent is included as a teammate. Given the growing utilization of AI in teams, this study investigated the effects of incorporating the AI agent into the chartering process. More specifically, in this study, 60 teams of three (two human and one AI agent) were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: the AI teammate is included in the team charter vs. the AI teammate is not included in the charter. It was hypothesized that including the AI agent in the charter would lead to increased AI role clarity, team performance, and trust in AI, with AI role clarity serving as a mediating mechanism. Results did not support the hypothesized effects. However, exploratory analyses revealed that AI role clarity significantly predicted trust in AI, suggesting that AI role clarity may be important for trust development in human-autonomy teams. Further analyses revealed that increased collaboration with the AI agent during the task led to improved productivity. Together, this study underscores both the potential importance of team development interventions in human-autonomy teams, and the need for future research to examine how charters and related interventions can be tailored to meet the unique challenges of human-AI teams.
Recommended Citation
Bell, Lizzie, "When AI Joins the Team: Exploring Team Development Interventions in Human-AI Teaming" (2026). All Dissertations. 4347.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/4347