Understanding and Improving Spaceflight Teamwork in Long-Duration Missions

Kim Jentsch, Ph.D.Eduardo Salas, Ph.D.

Steve Fiore, Ph.D.University of Central Florida

Project TitleTechnical ApproachTechnical Goals and Objectives

Strategic Alignment with NASA KSC Value and Benefit

• Interviews with 12 NASA astronauts with LDSF experience

• Observation of current team training

• Analysis of archival data from analogue populations

• Laboratory studies

• Field experiment for new debriefing approach

• Training for flight directors

• Identify team training needs for LDSF crews

• Develop and test team training strategies

• Develop recommendations measuring teamwork and cohesion

• Recommendations for team training content, methods, and sequencing prior to and during a mission

• Identification of organizational support factors influencing training effectiveness

• Validation of new team debriefing approach

• Metrics for assessing teamwork and cohesion

ANALYSIS OF ARCHIVAL DATA

Instructional Strategies Awareness Case studies / review of

accidents and incidents Demonstration Practice

• Role-plays• PC-based simulation• High fidelity simulation

Feedback• Post-performance

debriefs (after action reviews)

Team Environments Aircrew Air Traffic Control Military Command

and Control Nuclear power Shipping and

maritime Medical Space flight

CREW RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

CREW RESOURCE MANAGEMENTInstructional Strategies Awareness Case studies / review of

accidents and incidents Demonstration Practice

• Role-plays• PC-based simulation• High fidelity simulation

Feedback• Post-performance

debriefs (after action reviews)

Team Environments Aircrew Air Traffic Control Military Command

and Control Nuclear power Shipping and

maritime Medical Space flight

TEAM DEBRIEFS

Motivating, focused, impactful

Frustrating, inefficient, ineffective

… teach a [team] to fish and they’ll eat for a lifetime.”

“Give a [team] a fish and they’ll eat for a day...

TRAINING EVALUATION

1997-1998

2000-2002

Team Dimensional Training

TeamEffectiven

ess

TDT teams showed 268% better performance than control group

Team Dimensional Training

Teammate

Knowledge

Teamwork

Knowledge

TaskKnowled

ge

Team Dimensional Training

Teammate

Knowledge

Teamwork

Knowledge

TaskKnowled

ge

Adaptive Performa

nce

TDT PROCESS

1. Goals are process rather than outcome-oriented

2. Facilitator creates and maintains a psychologically safe learning climate

3. Discussion is structured around effective model of teamwork

4. Feedback is balanced in terms of positives and negatives

5. Team members self-correct

1. Goals are process rather than outcome-oriented

2. Facilitator creates and maintains a psychologically safe learning climate

3. Discussion is structured around effective model of teamwork

4. Feedback is balanced in terms of positives and negatives

5. Team members self-correct

TDT PROCESS

1. Goals are process rather than outcome-oriented

2. Facilitator creates and maintains a psychologically safe learning climate

3. Discussion is structured around effective model of teamwork

4. Feedback is balanced in terms of positives and negatives

5. Team members self-correct

TDT PROCESS

1. Goals are process rather than outcome-oriented

2. Facilitator creates and maintains a psychologically safe learning climate

3. Discussion is structured around effective model of teamwork

4. Feedback is balanced in terms of positives and negatives

5. Team members self-correct

TDT PROCESS

TDT PROCESS

1. Goals are process rather than outcome-oriented

2. Facilitator creates and maintains a psychologically safe learning climate

3. Discussion is structured around effective model of teamwork

4. Feedback is balanced in terms of positives and negatives

5. Team members self-correct

FIELD EXPERIMENTCan TDT improve individuals’ ability to perform in ad hoc

teams?Can TDT reduce training time for certification?

RESEARCH PLAN Trainees in control condition (10 individual flight controllers) – no change to existing practices

for debriefing

Trainees in treatment condition (10 individual flight controllers) - debriefed after integrated simulations using TDT

What is being collected? 45 min survey of trainee personality and knowledge

collected PRIOR to first integrated simulation

5 min survey after 1st,- 4th integrated simulation (medium or high)

Card sorting task after 4th integrated simulation

Audio of debriefs for integrated simulations

Archival data on certification time

PRELIMINARY RESULTS

Significant improvement in perceptions of learning climate

Data on learning is trending in support of our expectations

Thank You!

Questions?