Team Task Switching

Mcdonald, J. D.; DeChurch, Leslie A.; Asencio, Raquel; Carter, Dorothy R.; Mesmer‐Magnus, Jessica; Contractor, Noshir

doi:10.1177/1541931215591179

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…17 One advantage of team coordination is that teammates are able to determine an appropriate break point between subtasks to initiate task switching, 12 which reduces switching costs. 18 One downside to team coordination is that the process of self-monitoring itself competes with the primary task and can lead to decrements in performance. Self-monitoring relies on metacognitive accuracy, or a correct assessment of one’s own performance, which is not always precise.…”

Section: Methods Of Task Reallocationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using cognitive models to design dynamic task allocation systems

Fisher¹,

Frame²,

Stevens

2022

Journal of Defense Modeling & Simulation

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Many operations in Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) involve balancing multiple simultaneous interdependent tasks and coordinating between multiple teammates. Recently, autonomous managers (AMs) were proposed as a method for optimizing performance in team-based workflows using dynamic reallocation in response to changes in workload and performance. We demonstrate how cognitive models can be used in the design and evaluation of AMs. Specifically, cognitive models can be used to inform an AM’s decision policy, and to stress test an AM under a wide variety of conditions. Simulation 1 tested the robustness of numerous AMs across a wide range of cognitive agents. We found that a simpler cognitive model in the AM’s decision system was more robust than more complex models. In the second simulation study, we compared dynamic task reallocation and corrective feedback to improve performance of cognitive agents based on the ACT-R cognitive architecture. Our results indicate that both interventions have the potential to improve performance, and that the most robust AM from simulation 1 can improve the performance of a model with realistic learning dynamics. Our simulations demonstrate that cognitive models are useful for designing and evaluating AMs for multiple military applications, including ISR.

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Section: Methods Of Task Reallocationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using cognitive models to design dynamic task allocation systems

Fisher¹,

Frame²,

Stevens

2022

Journal of Defense Modeling & Simulation

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Prior research suggests that time-on-task affects performance due to the allocation of finite cognitive resources. We extend this logic to the spaceflight MTS work context (Mesmer-Magnus et al, 2020), and test the idea that time-on-task affects MTS performance through the mechanism of information networks.…”

Section: Task Management In Spaceflight Multiteam Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Working in a spaceflight MTS exponentially increases the cognitive load needed to prioritize, manage, and accomplish work (Fox et al, 2020; Gutzwiller et al, 2019; McDonald et al, 2015; Wickens et al, 2015). Prior research suggests that time-on-task affects performance due to the allocation of finite cognitive resources.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organizing for Mars: A Task Management Perspective on Work within Spaceflight Multiteam Systems

et al. 2022

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Objective The aim of this study was to examine how task, social, and situational factors shape work patterns, information networks, and performance in spaceflight multiteam systems (MTSs). Background Human factors research has explored the task and individual characteristics that affect decisions regarding when and in what order people complete tasks. We extend this work to understand how the social and situational factors that arise when working in MTSs affect individual work patterns. Methods We conducted a complex multi-site space analog simulation with NASA over the course of 3 years. The MTS task required participants from four teams (Geology, Robotics, Engineering, and Human Factors) to collaborate to design a well on Mars. We manipulated the one-way communication delay between the crew and mission support: no time lag, 60-second lag, and 180-second lag. Results The study revealed that team and situational factors exert strong effects: members whose teams have less similar mental models, those whose teams prioritize their team goal over the MTS goal, and those working in social isolation and/or under communication delay engage longer on tasks. Time-on-task positively predicts MTS information networks, which in turn positively predict MTS performance when communication occurs with a delay, but not when it occurs in real-time. Conclusion Our findings contribute to research on task management in the context of working in teams and multiteam systems. Team and situational factors, along with task factors, shape task management behavior. Application Social and situational factors are important predictors of task management in team contexts such as spaceflight MTSs.

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Space Exploration Illuminates the Next Frontier for Teams Research

Mesmer‐Magnus

Carter

Asencio

et al. 2016

Group & Organization Management

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Effective teamwork is beneficial for organizations on Earth, but is a sine qua non for teams venturing into outer space. The prospect of sending a team to Mars by the year 2030 invites organizational scientists to take stock of what we know and what we still need to know about teams. The team endeavoring to Mars will be multicultural and interdisciplinary, living and working in uncomfortable and dangerous conditions, and doing so in close collaboration with distant teams back on Earth. Tackling the teamwork challenges associated with a mission to Mars present an opportunity to rapidly accelerate the science of teams. In this conceptual review, we explore seven complexities of teams that are both important and understudied. Results of structured interviews with experts on human space exploration regarding the nature of teamwork in long-duration space exploration illuminate seven complexities, or key features of teams, in general, that serve as a catalyst for identifying, informing, and motivating future directions of inquiry about teams. These features, and the research they inspire, may enable organizations to build more effective teams on Earth and beyond.

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Team Task Switching

Cited by 3 publications

References 34 publications

Using cognitive models to design dynamic task allocation systems

Using cognitive models to design dynamic task allocation systems

Organizing for Mars: A Task Management Perspective on Work within Spaceflight Multiteam Systems

Space Exploration Illuminates the Next Frontier for Teams Research

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