Crisis Management Teams (CMT): Leveraging the Science of Team Performance under Stress

Abstract

Crisis management teams play a vital role in our nation's ability to effectively respond to disaster situations. However, the tasks that these teams perform happen infrequently and are often ambiguous and dynamic in nature. Furthermore, they involve interdependent action from many different organizations that may not work together on a regular basis. While it is common to train members in task-work skills, less common is the explicit training of teamwork skills. Research and real-world examples show that teamwork is not an automatic consequence of being in a team. As CMTs are often interdisciplinary and operate in environments characterized by stressors effective teamwork becomes even more of a challenge. Several communities have invested heavily into understanding the impact of stress on teamwork and decision-making within complex environments. The focus of this paper will be extracting lessons from these communities in an effort to provide guidance to CMTs.

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