Massachusetts Institute of Technology


BRAINS AND GROUPS: FINDINGS FROM A CROSS-LEVEL RESEARCH PROGRAM
J. Richard Hackman and Stephen M. Kosslyn
Department of Psychology, Harvard University
Thursday March 5, 2007   4:00-5:30 pm
NE20, Room 336 Conference Room (3 Cambridge Center)

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Abstract
The Group Brain research project at Harvard University draws simultaneously on perspectives from cognitive neuroscience and social psychology to explore the dynamics of analytic teams, including those in the intelligence community. Specifically, the project seeks to use knowledge about neural systems to help identify and empirically document the factors that most strongly determine how effectively teams integrate their members' diverse capabilities in creating collective analytic products. Project findings to date will be described and their implications for theory and practice explored.

Speaker bios
J. Richard Hackman is the Edgar Pierce Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology at Harvard University. His research interests include team dynamics, leadership effectiveness, and the design of self-managing social systems. Hackman's most recent book is "Leading Teams: Setting the Stage for Great Performances," which in in 2004 won the Academy of Management's Terry Award for the most outstanding management book of the year.

Stephen M. Kosslyn is Chair of the Department of Psychology and John Lindsley Professor of Psychology at Harvard University and Associate Psychologist in the Department of Neurology at the Massachusetts General Hospital. His research focuses primarily on the nature and neural bases of visual mental imagery, visual perception, and visual communication; he has published 7 books and over 250 articles on these topics. Kosslyn has received numerous awards, including the National Academy of Sciences Initiatives in Research Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.


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