Title: Towards a model for team learning in multidisciplinary crisis management teams

Authors: Selma Van Der Haar, Karen A. Jehn, Mien Segers

Addresses: PLATO, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK, Leiden, The Netherlands. ' Department of Social and Organisational Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK, Leiden, The Netherlands. ' Department of Educational Studies, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK, Leiden, The Netherlands

Abstract: Crisis management teams have the duty to perform immediately, reliably and effectively in case of an emergency, crisis or disaster. The teams are composed of members who are diverse in expertise, experience, parent organisation and familiarity. This makes these teams ad hoc multidisciplinary action teams that have to function as a team and perform in a reliable and effective way as quickly as possible. Our expectation is that team learning is very important for establishing this team performance. In this paper, we develop a broad model of how this team learning occurs in crisis management teams, especially in the operational crisis management team. In summary, we state that reliable and effective performance in these teams requires connectivity about the task and team (i.e., available knowledge and opinions are shared using communication, leading to shared visions and intentions). This connectivity can be established by using team-learning behaviour and face-to-face-communication and developing a Transactive Memory System (TMS), a shared situational awareness, shared mental models of the task and team and a model for how to cooperate in this team. Can this team learning be influenced to improve performance? This is the general question underlying the PhD project that we started in the summer of 2007 at Leiden University.

Keywords: team learning; team performance; multidisciplinary teams; crisis management teams; emergency management; transactive memory systems; shared situational awareness; shared mental models; teamwork.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEM.2008.025091

International Journal of Emergency Management, 2008 Vol.5 No.3/4, pp.195 - 208

Published online: 12 May 2009 *

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