Modern humanity’s greatest achievements of the last decade, from mRNA vaccines to the James Webb Space Telescope, have all been driven by collaboration. But what actually makes teams successful?
That question is at the center of Dr. Megan Chan’s newly defended dissertation, “Multilevel and Dynamic Signatures of Success in Modern Teams,” completed at the Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences (IEMS) department at Northwestern University. Using advanced network and computational analytics, Megan examined how patterns of communication and coordination shape collective performance across complex, multi-level teams over time.
Two findings were especially compelling: first, that “more (or less) communication is not always better; it is the sequential structures of communication that matter,” and second, that “multicommunication is a team problem, not a personal one.” Rather than placing the burden solely on individuals to multitask less, her research suggests organizations should rethink how communication is distributed across teams.
In Fall 2026, Megan will join the faculty at her undergraduate alma mater, Cal Poly Engineering in San Luis Obispo, where she will continue exploring the future of teamwork, including how teams function when some teammates are AI.
We are incredibly proud of Megan and excited to see the impact of her work. Congratulations, Dr. Megan Chan!
Picture and Text Courtesy of Noshir Contractor