Improving team decision‐making performance with collaborative modeling

Purpose This article aims to examine considerations and strategies for improving team performance in decision‐making by teaching teams to use collaborative modeling based on team mental models. Design/methodology/approach The article describes the nature of shared mental models and collaborative modeling, the potential effects of collaborative modeling on team performance, and a perspective on communication imperatives that facilitate collaborative modeling. The articles builds upon this information to suggest five imperatives for teams to help them develop collaborative modeling skills Findings The article offers strategies in the form of five imperatives for teams to observe in order to build skills in collaborative modeling and improve team performance by improving team members’ ability to effect collaborative modeling to accomplish team tasks and goals. Originality/value Research over the years in mental modeling and communication has created a powerful argument that effective communication and shared mental models improves team performance. However there is little about application of this concept in the literature. The next step for researchers is to develop application models for collaborative modeling and test those models through empirical research. This paper offers an application model based on imperatives to be observed by decision‐making teams in order to facilitate the creation of shared mental models of team tasks and processes.