The Impact of Environmental Complexity and Team Training on Team Processes and Performance in Multi-Team Environments
Abstract
This study examined how manipulating the level of environmental complexity and the type of team training given to subject volunteers impacted important team process behaviors and performance outcomes. Complexity levels were manipulated by directly altering critical target object features and overall planning information ambiguity. This study also examined how subject teams performed in a dynamic environment that not only required cooperative behavior between individuals within a single team, but also collective actions between separate teams to achieve assigned performance goals. This effort focused on testing critical aspects of an emerging framework of multi-team systems (MTSs). The results from this research initially failed to support the contention that manipulating environmental complexity and team training strongly influenced MTS process behaviors. However, when continuous scores were employed as measures of the MTS's collective training knowledge, analysis revealed that coordination training impacted action process behaviors and thereby indirectly improved performance. These results also provided support for reconceptualizing the relationships existing between central components of the MTS framework. Based on these findings, transition process behaviors provide a critical link between interpersonal and action processes in an MTS. These findings support the emerging theory of MTS and offer some initial clarifications of how these team processes interrelate to enhance overall performance. Prospective directions for future research are suggested.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 21, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADA370815
Entities
People
- Marshall G. Cobb
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology