Team Resource Foraging in Event-Driven Task Environments

Abstract

Although applied in a number of fields (including information science and human-computer interaction), foraging theory has not been used to study role differentiated team dynamics in an event driven environment. Many critical assumptions must be modified and the operational definitions must be enhanced for the theory to be applied in these more complex settings. This paper focuses on research developments leading to conceptual elaborations and expansions of the resource foraging framework, in order to address team-based resource acquisition and utilization strategies. The additional foraging concepts and definitions presented in this paper derive from the authors' research in spaceflight operations and healthcare delivery environments. In the authors' current healthcare research, appropriate resource foraging strategies vary dramatically based on specific healthcare setting, team structure, and other factors. These findings help to empirically validate the expanded construct of resource foraging by teams.