Annals of the Academy of Romanian Scientists Series on Engineering Sciences ISSN 2066-8570 Volume 13, Number 1/2021 59 PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT OF MULIT- DISCIPLINARY R&D TEAMS THROUGH PROJECT MANAGEMENT Marcel ILIE 1 , Augustin SEMENESCU 2 Rezumat. Ultimele doua decenii au fost caracterizate de profunde schimbari si relocari ale resurselor umane si materiale, la scala mondiala, cu implicatii in dinamica companiilor si institutiilor de cercetare. Ca urmare, activitaea de cercetare si dezvoltare (R&D) poate implica resurse umane in ddiferite locatii geografice. In ciuda beneficiilor, aceste schimbari pot ridica probleme serioase, in particular in termeni de integrare, coordonare si amnagement ale acestor resurse umane, in particular for echipe R&D. Mai mult decat atat exista mai multe provocari asociated cu noua dinamica cum ar fi diferentele culturale, sociale si fundamentale (rutina diferita, preceduri, scopuri si asteptari) care exista intre parteneri si care pot complica managementul proiectelor. Desi cativa factori pot afecta dezvoltarea si executia proiectului, managemetul proiectului joaca un rol esential. In acest studiu, analizam feazibilitatea managemtului flexibil, in snesul ca ia in considerare practici manageriale deja existente si extrage elementele similare dintre toti membri echipei implicati in R&D. Abstract. The past two decades have been characterized by profound changes and reallocations of human and material resources, worldwide, with implications in the dynamics of the companies and research institutions. Therefore, nowadays, R&D may involve personnel located at various geophysical locations. In spite of their benefits, these changes raised significant challenges, particularly in terms of integrations, coordination and management of human resources, particularly for R&D teams. Moreover, there are several challenges associated with the new dynamics such, cultural, societal, fundamental organization dissimilarities (i.e., different routines, procedures, goals, and expectations) that exist between partners might complicate managing the projects. Although several factors may affect the development and execution of the project, however, the project management plays a vital role. In this research we analyse the feasibility of a flexible management approach in the sense that it takes into account the management practices already existent and extract the similarities among all the partners involved in the R&D effort. Keywords: team management, work performance, cohesiveness, team engagement, team effectiveness DOI https://doi.org/10.56082/annalsarscieng.2021.1. 59 1 PhD, Assistant Professor: Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30458, USA, e-mail: milie@georgiasouthern.edu 2 PhD, Professor, Dept. of Material Sciences, University Politehnica Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania, augustin.semenescu@upb.ro