Army Teams: Who are They and How Do They Function?

Abstract

The Army Research Institute Field Unit at Fort Benning has initiated a long range research program in the areas of team training and evaluation. The focus is on small (2–11 persons), formally recognized. Army work teams in the combat and combat support branches. The overall research game plan is to concentrate on identifying: (1) What it is that constitutes team, as opposed to individual, performance; (2) Which of these team performance skills can be modified by training and also serve to determine team output; (3) Analytic and assessment techniques for identifying and evaluating these skills; and (4) Team training techniques appropriate for Army conditions. The anticipated final research products include Instructional Systems Development (ISD) techniques and guidance regarding team training program development, team performance assessment techniques, and improvement and/or development of selected team training and assessment programs.

The purpose of this presentation is to report on two steps that have been accomplished in this program thus far. The first of these is the development of an inventory of Army teams. The second is a preliminary identification of what constitutes team performance at the functions level.