"The paper consists of two parts. In the first part, a comprehensive I-P-O model of team collaboration will be presented. This model is based on a systematic review of 500 most cited publications on team work, and builds on accumulated knowledge and insights on team work. The model is not only a static representation of aspects related to team work, but also offers a way of analysing future or current collaborations and identifying what expected team processes will take place. This will offer an insight on which interventions or training will be useful in a particular team, which will enable the team to successfully manage team processes and emergent states, to improve performance. In the second part, this model will be used to analyse collaboration in multidisciplinary student teams doing interdisciplinary research. The mix of characteristics - specific for multidisciplinary student teams - can lead to certain team processes and emergent states. The comprehensive model is used to identify expected team processes such as dealing with lack of shared mental models or lack of social cohesion. "