Journal of Applied Psychology · 2000 · 217 citations · 0 references
Group CommunicationPerformance StudiesSocial CognitionCollective CognitionWork Group DynamicArtsOrganizational BehaviorPsychologyMental ModelsTeam Process
The study examined how shared mental models affect team processes and performance by having 56 undergraduate dyads fly missions in a computer‑based flight‑combat simulation, distinguishing task‑ and team‑based models and measuring their convergence with paired‑comparison matrices and a network‑based algorithm. Results showed that convergence of both task‑ and team‑based mental models positively predicted team process and performance, with team processes fully mediating the link between mental model convergence and team effectiveness, highlighting the importance of shared cognitions and potential interventions.
The influence of teammates' shared mental models on team processes and performance was tested using 56 undergraduate dyads who "flew" a series of missions on a personal-computer-based flight-combat simulation. The authors both conceptually and empirically distinguished between teammates' task- and team-based mental models and indexed their convergence or "sharedness" using individually completed paired-comparisons matrices analyzed using a network-based algorithm. The results illustrated that both shared-team- and task-based mental models related positively to subsequent team process and performance. Furthermore, team processes fully mediated the relationship between mental model convergence and team effectiveness. Results are discussed in terms of the role of shared cognitions in team effectiveness and the applicability of different interventions designed to achieve such convergence.