Shared Mental Models

The main goal of the thesis is to analyze the effects of shared mental models and shared temporal cognitions on team processes and effectiveness over time. The thesis includes five empirical studies. The findings of the study reported in chapter 2 suggest that relationship conflict mediates the relationship between team mental model similarity at the beginning of the team lifecycle and team effectiveness. Chapter 3 describes a study that reveals that team creativity positively mediates the relationship between shared mental models and team effectiveness; and that intragroup conflict and creativity sequentially mediate the relationship between shared mental models and team effectiveness. Chapter 4 describes a study that suggests that shared temporal cognitions function as a substitute of temporal leadership in reducing temporal conflict. Further, this study provides evidence for the mediating role of temporal conflict between temporal leadership and team performance, and between shared temporal cognitions and team performance. The findings of the study reported in chapter 5 indicate that when accuracy is low, the more similar team members’ temporal mental models are, the less they engage in learning behaviors; and that team adaptation mediates the relationship between team learning and performance. Finally, the findings of the study reported in chapter 6 show that temporal and task mental models are crucial for the translation of team learning behaviors into performance improvement. The thesis contributes to the understanding of teamwork, in particular to the important role of shared mental models and shared temporal cognitions for managing teams in organizational contexts.

oncepts of Operations (CONOPS) are documents describing the characteristics and intended usage of proposed and existing systems. They provide information about the requirements and future desired states the project aims to achieve. We reviewed 22 recent CONOPS from government and private sector institutions to ascertain the current approach to CONOPS development. Based on the CONOPS review and research literature, we highlight three key areas, stakeholder involvement, shared mental models, and visualization, through which the development process may be improved. Moreover, we suggest that the development process itself may be transformed into an agile process that addresses current shortcomings in the key areas. To do so, we propose an agile CONOPS development process conducted through three iteration-driven phases and present corresponding research and commercial tools that may be leveraged at each phase. As such, putting this agile process into effect may reduce development time, i...

Social-cognitive processes are considered to be integrative parts of knowledge management in organisations and projects. In this study, Shared Mental Models and Social Capital between team members is considered under the lens of complexity as it influences knowledge management practices such as Absorptive Capacity. Social Capital is also examined in its role in facilitating information processes between team members as they occur under varying level of complexities. Data was gathered from a sample of 127 project managers and consultants through the use of a survey. Significant relationships were supported between Social Capital and Knowledge Management, as well as Social Capital and Complexity. Moreover, Complexity was found to be inhibitive to the process of creation of Shared Mental Models, as well as inhibitive to information absorption capacity of team members. This study adds to current literature which focuses on the interrelationship of social-cognitive processes in knowledge management process in project management.

The article shows that the work of Thorstein Veblen and Pierre Bourdieu builds a foundation of a mentality-driven contextual economics. In order to achieve this goal, it will be demonstrated that Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of distinction, and his concept of habitus, is a widely overlooked descendant of Thorstein Veblen’s Theory of the Leisure Class and that both approaches highlight the necessity for including mental models into economic analysis. Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to develop a comparative analysis of Veblen’s and Bourdieu’s theories of cultural capital and mental models to demonstrate the proximity of both concepts to contemporary economic thought. In short, I argue that Bourdieu’s habitus concept must be understood as a logical progression of Veblen’s theory of distinction, and that the findings from both approaches call for a turn towards mentality-driven economic Analysis.

Ineffective communication is the leading yet preventable cause of error among healthcare teams (Deering et al., 2018; Salas et al., 2009; Street et al., 2020). One purpose of this mixed-methods study was to apply Relational Coordination (RC) theory, a validated diagnostic tool, to assess levels of communication skills and relationships among multidisciplinary obstetrical teams who regularly practice simulated training and manage acute events.

oncepts of Operations (CONOPS) are documents describing the characteristics and intended usage of proposed and existing systems. They provide information about the requirements and future desired states the project aims to achieve. We reviewed 22 recent CONOPS from government and private sector institutions to ascertain the current approach to CONOPS development. Based on the CONOPS review and research literature, we highlight three key areas, stakeholder involvement, shared mental models, and visualization, through which the development process may be improved. Moreover, we suggest that the development process itself may be transformed into an agile process that addresses current shortcomings in the key areas. To do so, we propose an agile CONOPS development process conducted through three iteration-driven phases and present corresponding research and commercial tools that may be leveraged at each phase. As such, putting this agile process into effect may reduce development time, improve effectiveness, and change the perception of the CONOPS from a burdensome documentation procedure to an invaluable resource throughout the system lifecycle