Understanding Patterns of Team Collaboration Employed To Solve Unique Problems
Abstract
'Macrocognition' is a nascent area of knowledge engineering that focuses on understanding how cognition emerges in natural environments. One goal for studying macrocognition is to understand the complexity entailed in inter- and intra-individual cognition. The goal of the research reported here is to better understand how team collaboration influences and facilitates the team's task performance. In this paper we describe our analysis of several complex team collaboration tasks: (a) firefighters from the Fire Department of New York on September 11, 2001, (b) air warfare teams on an Aegis ship, and (c) the team collaboration entailed in conducting Maritime Interdiction Operations. Team communications that transpired during three complex problem solving situations were analyzed to understand how teams collaborate to create new knowledge and decide on a course of action during complex, one-of-a-kind problems. Communications were analyzed using definitions of cognitive processes included in a conceptual model of team collaboration. These processes include: (1) individual knowledge building, (2) developing knowledge interoperability, (3) developing team shared understanding, and (4) team consensus. The way the team's cognitive behavior maps to the model of team collaboration is discussed along with differences in patterns of collaboration for different decision-making domains.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA486786
Entities
People
- A. D. Kendall
- Alex B. Bordetsky
- Susan G. Hutchins
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School