Toward an understanding of macrocognition in teams: predicting processes in complex collaborative contexts
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Stephen M Fiore1, Michael A Rosen, Kimberly A Smith-Jentsch
1University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32826, USA. sfiore@ist.ucf.edu
Objective:
This article presents a model for predicting complex collaborative processes as they arise in one-of-a-kind problem-solving situations to predict performance outcomes. The goal is to outline a set of key processes and their interrelationship and to describe how these can be used to predict collaboration processes embedded within problem-solving contexts.
Background:
Teams are increasingly called upon to address complex problem-solving tasks in novel situations. This represents a domain of performance that to date has been underrepresented in the research literature.
Method:
Multidisciplinary theoretical and empirical literature relating to knowledge work in teams is synthesized.
Results:
A set of propositions developed to guide research into how teams externalize cognition and build knowledge in service of problem solving is presented. First, a brief overview of macrocognition in teams is provided to distinguish the present work from other views of team cognition. Second, a description of the foundational theoretical concepts driving the theory of macrocognition in teams presented here is provided. Third, a set of propositions described within the context of a model of macrocognition in teams is forwarded.
Conclusion:
The theoretical framework described in this article provides a set of empirically testable propositions that can ultimately guide practitioners in efforts to support macrocognition in teams.
Application:
A theory of macrocognition in teams can provide guidance for the development of training interventions and the design of collaborative tools to facilitate knowledge-based performance in teams.
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