<p> Industries in which effective teamwork is critical for safe operations are quickly discovering the benefits of simulation-based training (SBT). Research has shown the aviation industry, military operations, and medical field utilize impressive simulations allowing people to refine their technical and nontechnical skills in a "no consequence" environment. Grounded in team cognitive and group dynamic research, researchers are focusing their efforts on how to effectively use simulation as a training tool. The focus of this study was to determine how the degree of simulation difficulty affects teamwork. With a unique high fidelity simulation lab, the participants completed 3 hour work shifts to a run a simulated regional airline. Teamwork was based on the following five variables: contributing to teamwork, interacting with the team, keeping the team on track, expecting quality, and having the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's). The experimental design consisted of three teams randomly assigned to either a minimal, moderate, or maximum level of difficulty. After completion of the simulation, the participants completed an online survey for evaluations of their performance. The findings suggest some components of teamwork are affected by the design of the simulation, while others are not as susceptible to its effects. It was discovered the level of difficulty significantly affected individual and group performance in their expectation of quality and having relevant knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's). As simulation difficulty only affected two out of the five teamwork variables, this leads to the conclusion that generally a team will perform based on their level of team cognition and efficient group behaviors, not necessarily based on the degree of difficulty presented during a simulation.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:3619937 |
| Date | 20 June 2014 |
| Creators | Georgiou, Andrea M. |
| Publisher | Capella University |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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