Unpacking the Temporal and Interactive Effects of Stress on Individual and Team Performance

Abstract

Long-duration space flight demands prolonged exposure to a myriad of stressors which manifest and interact over time. Despite a significant body of work dedicated to identifying, mitigating, and managing the effects of stress on performance, a clear theoretical foundation explicating the ways in which interactions among stressors occurs, as well as how and when stress develops chronically remains unclear. Additionally, it is not yet well understood how such temporal and interactive effects impact performance at multiple-levels of analysis, including both individual and team performance. The current paper presents an innovative theoretical approach for unpacking these complex relationships, forming a foundation for understanding their impact on dynamic episodes of individual and team performance.

Guiding Principles for Team Stress Measurement

“…Team stress is a complex and dynamic phenomenon that is wholly dependent on the time and context in which it occurs (Driskell et al, 1992;Dietz et al, 2010). As such, the most accurate measurements of team stress are likely to take place when team stress is assessed in situ (i.e., during teams' natural performance episodes).…”

“…Further, even when a team is exposed to the same types and numbers of stressors at multiple points in time, the team may experience different levels of stress in response to them. This is due in large part to the cumulative effects of stressors over time and the reality that stressors may interact with one another (Dietz et al, 2010). A final time/context-related factor to consider is that teams go through different phases in their lifespan (e.g., Kozlowski, Gully, Nason, & Smith, 1999;Morgan, Salas, & Glickman, 1993) and these phases influence team processes and performance in a variety of ways (Baker & Salas, 1997).…”