The Science of Teamwork: What Matters in Practice… Eduardo Salas, Ph.D. Department of Psychology & Institute of Simulation & Training University of Central Florida

Outline Today… I. Who cares about teamwork? II. What matters in teamwork? I. The 7 C’s III. What do effective teams do? I. Top ten list II. Leaders behaviors IV. What can you do to enhance teamwork? I. 7 pieces of advice V. Closing remarks.

I. Who cares about teamwork?

Who Cares about Teams?

 USS Vincennes shoots down Iranian airbus (1988)  Challenger/Columbia accidents tied to poor organizational decision making (1986/2003)  Response to 9/11 reveals communication breakdowns (2001)  Katrina response lacked coordination (2005); so did Gulf Oil spill (2010)  Sago Mine disaster report cites poor command-and-control (2006)  VA Tech communications substandard (2007)  Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster (2012)  Friendly fire incidents  Various health care mishaps attributed to poor teamwork Some Instances of Failures of Teamwork

Miracle on the Hudson And some successes… Response to Fargo flooding

US 2004 Olympic Basketball Team " We still have a couple of days, but I don't know where we are," replied USA head coach Larry Brown … I've got a pretty good understanding of who needs to play. Now the job is to get an understanding of how we have to play." A team of experts does NOT make an expert team Collaborative skill is not additive

US 1980 Olympic Ice Hockey Team Herb Brooks and 20 young “no-names” won the 1980 Olympic Gold Medal in Ice Hockey An expert team made up of no- names…

II. What Matters in Teamwork?

What is the State of the Science? How Do We Turn a Team of Experts into an Expert Team?

What is the State of the Science?  Theoretically-driven (170+ models!) “Nothing more practical than a good theory.”  It’s a multi-disciplinary field  Explosion of empirical work!  Studying real teams; performing real tasks “Teams in the Wild” Simulations  Experts as participants

What is the State of the Science?  Hundreds of teams! Aviation Healthcare Military Corporate world  Teams defined Task interdependency Distributed expertise Hierarchical organized

Cooperation Motivational Drivers Communication Information Protocols Cognition Common Understanding Coaching Leadership Activities Conflict Conflict Resolution Procedures Coordination Behavioral Mechanism TEAMWORK Conditions Norms & Support

Cooperation…  Attitudes & Beliefs: Team Orientation Collective Efficacy Mutual Trust Openness to Experience  Good Teams… Develop collective efficacy Have strong team orientation

Coordination…  Behavioral Mechanisms: Mutual Performance Monitoring Back-up Behavior/Supportive Adaptability/ Flexibility  Good Teams… Self-correct Employ huddle, debriefs

Communication…  Information exchange protocols: Close-loop communication Precise, Timely, Clarity Appropriate terminology  Good Teams… Share unique information

Cognition…  Shared understanding: Roles & Responsibilities Knowledge of team mission; Objectives, Norms, & Resources Familiarity with Teammates  Good Teams… Have clear roles Team norms are clear

Coaching…  Leadership: Team Leadership  Promotes teamwork  Cares about team members  Sets ground rules  Good Teams… Have coaches Set expectations Clarify roles

Conflict…  Conflict resolution strategies: Interpersonal skills Psychological safety  Good Teams… Deal with conflict, confront it Coaches create psychological safety

Conditions…  Supportive context Good performance recognized & reinforced Access to resources Information needed available  Policies, procedures & incentives aligns  Leadership sends “signals” that teamwork matters

III. Ten Characteristics of Effective Teams…

Ten characteristics of effective teams… 1. Clear roles & responsibilities …have members who understand each others’ roles and how they fit together. 2. Compelling purpose – goal, vision …have a clear common purpose. …energized by their shared mission. …can evaluate current status in terms of a destination.

Ten characteristics of effective teams… 3. Team coach (leader) – promotes, develops, reinforces …leaders that directly intervene to enact teamwork processes. …have team members who believe the leaders care about them. …provide situation updates. …set expectations. …self-correct first. …clarify roles. …solicit ideas and observations from team members. …seek out opportunities to reinforce effective teamwork.

Ten characteristics of effective teams… 4. Mutual trust – familiarity …manage conflict well—team members confront each other effectively. …have a strong sense of team orientation. …trust other team members’ “intentions”. …strongly believe in the team’s collective capability to succeed. …develop collective efficacy.

Ten characteristics of effective teams… 5. Team norms – clear, known & appropriate …what is acceptable “around here”. 6. ​ Shared understanding of task, mission & goals – hold shared mental models …have members who anticipate each other. …can coordinate without overt communication.

Ten characteristics of effective teams… 7. ​ Self-correct – huddles, debriefs …regularly provide feedback to each other, both individually and as a team (“de-brief”). …establish and revise team goals and plans. …differentiate between higher and lower priorities. …have mechanisms for anticipating and reviewing issues/problems of members. …periodically diagnose team "effectiveness”, including its results, its processes, and its vitality (morale, retention, energy).

Ten characteristics of effective teams… 8. Set expectations – clear, understood …Know who does what, when & why 9. Shared unique information – efficient information protocols …huddles, debriefs can help. 10. ​ Organizational conditions – policies, procedures, signals

IV. Seven Pieces of Advice…

Some Advice… 1. Ensure all team members are trained on team-based KSA’s…around six of the C’s… Team training ≠ Team building Information, demonstration, practice & feedback, key elements Scenario carefully crafted Event-based approach

Some Advice… 2. ​ Teach how to Debrief and Huddle!- Simple, Powerful, & Underutilized What worked? What can be improved? Focus on as many C’s as possible. Debriefing works! (Tannenbaum, 2012)  25% Performance improvement

Some Advice… 3. Use Simulation! Games, role plays Accelerates expertise Embedded instructional features

Some Advice… 4. Develop team coaches… 5. ​ Measure & Reinforce teamwork! 6. Ensure team is deployed appropriately… …Kick-off meeting 7. ​​ For sustainability…create conditions needed… …continuous process …seek supervisory support …not an event, journey …CFO/CEO must see value, business case

V. Closing Remarks…

Closing Remarks…  Use team science!  Apply what we know!  Data on what works, compelling!

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