Individual and Team Individual and Team Selection for Mars Selection for Mars

MissionsMissionsSusannah PaletzJudith Orasanu

NASA Ames Research Center

August 7, 2005Meridiani Base: The 2nd Mars Expedition Planning Workshop

University of British Columbia Vancouver, British Columbia

This research was supported by the Human-Systems Integration Program at NASA.This talk represents the opinions of the authors and does not represent any official opinion of NASA.

OverviewOverview

Why selection? State of the art for individual selection

Science of selection Relevant validated knowledge, skills, abilities

Individual selection for Mars State of the art on team selection Team selection for Mars: needed research Conclusion

Why Selection?Why Selection? Whom do you want to send to Mars?

Right tool for the job – people are resources too

Selection, if done properly, uses science to help you choose the right people, preventing mission failures due to skill or compatibility breakdowns

This is too important to leave to chance

Selection Gone WrongSelection Gone Wrong

Manager of Computer Engineers

Expert Computer EngineerNovice Computer Engineer

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progression

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Individual Selection Needs for Individual Selection Needs for Mars MissionsMars Missions

Distance from Earth and small numbers means crew must be able to Work autonomously Be multi-purpose people

Be flexible, adaptive Have good learning and metacognitive skills

Three necessary areas of individual ability: Ability to do the job Ability to tolerate and function in the work context /

environment of space, Mars Ability to work harmoniously with a team and maintain

a positive team climate

The Job (Work) AnalysisThe Job (Work) Analysis Job (or “work”) analysis underlies creation of

Performance criteria Selection measures Training

Job analysis determines Tasks & activities of the job Knowledge, skills, abilities, & other characteristics required

(KSAOs) Work context: physical and social environment

More complex analyses incorporate Organizational goals Customer requirements Changing nature of work

Selection MethodsSelection Methods

Questionnaires Interviews (panel, individual) Assessment centers Past history / biographical data Work samples and simulations

Selection should help give applicants a realistic idea of the job AND

criteria should vary based on the specific tasks/mission.

Individual Selection Individual Selection for Mars Missionsfor Mars Missions

History of astronaut selection at NASA Select-in and select-out Medical, psychiatric, observation, etc. Recent validation attempts examine psychological

characteristics

Past KSAOs identified: Intelligence, technical aptitude Tolerance for / Ability to handle extreme stress Physical fitness And many more…

Making Selection ScientificMaking Selection Scientific

Make sure your performance AND selection measures are:

Reliable Valid

Content validity Construct validity Criterion validity

ValidatedValidated KSAOs for Occupations KSAOs for Occupations Related to Mars MissionsRelated to Mars Missions

General mental ability Ability to learn/training proficiency, metacognitive

skills Task-related expertise, previous success,

success in simulators, education, etc. Conscientiousness, motivation, work ethic Extraversion (for certain kinds of team

performance) Agreeableness for team performance Emotional stability Openness to experience Compatible family situation

Task-Related KSAOs Task-Related KSAOs for Long-Duration Mars Missionsfor Long-Duration Mars Missions

Task expertise, experience, education (e.g., geology, engineering, piloting, etc.)

General mental ability Conscientiousness, motivation, dedication,

etc. Training proficiency

Work Context-Related KSAOsWork Context-Related KSAOsfor Long-Duration Mars Missionsfor Long-Duration Mars Missions Physically fit Compatible family situation Ability to withstand boredom / be easily entertained;

tolerance for lack of variability in the environment Resiliency to stress (physical & emotional)

Sleep deprivation Danger Microgravity, changing back to gravity Tolerance for isolation, confinement

Sense of humor Perseverance What more?

Teamwork-Related KSAOsTeamwork-Related KSAOsfor Long-Duration Mars Missionsfor Long-Duration Mars Missions Leadership / followership Agreeableness Emotional stability & control Openness to experience,

flexibility Communication skills Collaborative problem

solving, coordination skills “Right stuff,” e.g., from PCI Conflict resolution Group living skills Maturity

Ability to train others Emotional intelligence,

insight, wisdom Value teamwork Role flexibility Understand teamwork

processes Cultural sensitivity Language facility (e.g.,

Japanese, Russian, English) Optimism Etc.

Research Needs for Research Needs for Individual SelectionIndividual Selection

Work analysis for Meridiani Base missions Selection & performance measures as free

from bias as possible Validation of suggested Mars KSAOs More research in confined/isolated

environments What about flight controllers and other support personnel?

Individual vs. Team SelectionIndividual vs. Team Selection

Team Selection: Team Selection: State of the ArtState of the Art

Composition literature: homogeneous, heterogeneous, one group dominates…? Personality Gender Age Ethnicity National, organizational culture Opinions, assumptions Profession

What do you do when a team member is in the minority?

Crews will be heterogeneous by necessity in terms of expertise, nationality…

Team Selection, con’tTeam Selection, con’t

Compatibility research Married couples Roommates

Tools for team research Statistics for nested data, e.g., hierarchical

linear modeling Research on sociometry, group dynamics

(SYMLOG)

Needs in Needs in Team Selection ResearchTeam Selection Research

Team-level work analysis Crew sizing and composition

based on work analysis Team composition of other

factors Team compatibility Team-level selection

Team-level cohesion, productivity, and performance metrics

More systematic studies of teams in isolated and confined environments

Additional Implications for Individual Additional Implications for Individual and Team Selection for Mars Missionsand Team Selection for Mars Missions

Work analysis can also inform Crew size and therefore mission planning, size of

habitat, etc. Performance appraisals Training

Other issues to resolve: Redundancy in skills important?

Meta-skills like trainability may help Changing work environment

Space Mars space Changing tasks, technology Group development over time

ConclusionConclusion Selection is vital to pick the right crew to

Do the task Tolerate the environment Maintain team harmony and positive group climate

Selection methods should be evaluated for success

Warning: psychological science is a science of averages, not engineering, therefore…

Countermeasures, training, mitigations are still necessary for team and mission success

Thank YouThank You

Yuri TadaBonny Parke Edna FiedlerAnnette SpychalskiSteve Vander ArkPamela BaskinsMike de los ReyesAdam DoleJen CosmasLori McDonnellLaQuisha BeckumJay TrimbleMary Kaiser

For the full literature review with references, see (in a few months) Paletz, S.B.F. Individual Selection and Crew Assembly: A Gap Analysis. Technical Memorandum.