Investigating the Relation Between Team Learning and the Team Situation Model

Abstract

The development of a team situation model (TSM), a shared understanding of the current situation developed by team members moment by moment, and its impact on team effectiveness have received minor attention in team research. This study investigates a moderated mediation model including the relationship between the team learning processes of co-construction and constructive conflict, the TSM, and team effectiveness. Forty-seven emergency management command-and-control teams participated in this field study. Their task was to manage a realistic emergency simulation developed and organized by field experts. The multi-rater approach included ratings of team members, researchers, and field experts. Results show that co-construction is related to the TSM under the condition of high constructive conflict. The TSM predicts team effectiveness in terms of the quality of actions at the incident scene.

Team Leader Structuring for Team Effectiveness and Team Learning in Command-and-Control Teams

“…More specifically, by initiating structure in the EMCC team’s task, the leader supports the development of a shared understanding of the task and goal, and thereby creates a clear sense of direction and purpose (Benoliel & Somech, 2014; Burke et al, 2006; Keller, 2006). This is beneficial for the effectiveness of EMCC teams (van der Haar et al, 2014; van der Haar et al, 2015). Moreover, initiating structure speeds up discussion (Burke et al, 2006; Drucker, 2004), facilitates the attainment of meeting objectives (Burke et al, 2006; Kauffeld & Lehmann-Willenbrock, 2012; Keller, 2006), and keeps a clear focus in the discussion (Burke et al, 2006; Kauffeld & Lehmann-Willenbrock, 2012; Lorinkova et al, 2013).…”

“…Clarifying or sensemaking facilitates team learning in terms of creating a shared understanding of the problem, as it supports identifying new information, guiding discussions, and preventing miscommunication and thereby incorrect decisions (Bristowe et al, 2012; DeChurch & Mesmer-Magnus, 2010; Kauffeld & Lehmann-Willenbrock, 2012). Both are relevant for the EMCC team, because to take decisions that lead to adequate, justified, and coordinated actions, it is crucial to have a clear and shared idea about what is going on and what needs to be done (quality of actions, van der Haar et al, 2013; van der Haar et al, 2015). …”

“…Limited research is available on team learning in these contexts (Salas, Guthrie, & Burke, 2007; van der Haar et al, 2015; Zajac et al, 2014). van der Haar and colleagues (2015) showed that in EMCC teams constructive conflict makes the difference.…”

“…This requires EMCC members to engage in team learning (van der Haar, Segers, Jehn, & Van den Bossche, 2015), which is defined here as a behavioral process of interaction and exchange among team members (Kozlowski & Ilgen, 2006). Team learning is argued to generate change or improvement for teams, team members, and organizations (Decuyper, Dochy, & Van den Bossche, 2010).…”

Assessing Shared Strategic Understanding

“…An important assumption in this thesis is that understanding on the team level is a product of the interactions in the team during work (Cooke et al, 2013;van der Haar et al, 2015) in relation to context, and as a consequence of team formation (Tuckman, 1965). The actual outcome in terms of shared understanding is thus a consequence of events within the team and in the situation, as well as the maturity of the team.…”