Using Simulation Modeling Methods to Study Teams Doing Taskwork

Abstract

Traditional human factors approaches to team research are inherently limited by the time and resources required to conduct laboratory and field studies. Teams can be described as systems, which can be broken down into components, behaviors, and relationships. Simulation modeling techniques have been successful in studying dynamic and emergent aspects of systems, including human groups, and are good candidates for studying team process dynamics. An example model described in this article acts as a feasibility test for incorporating aspects of teamwork and taskwork into computational models. Aspects of systems engineering are presented, and methods for operationalizing components are discussed. Key modeling topics highlighted include functionality and convergence. By integrating simulation methods into human factors subject areas, researchers may be able to study more diverse sets of people, apply a wide array of experimental treatments, and observe emergent behaviors of humans with less time and resources.