The Science of
Teamwork: What
Matters in Practice…
Eduardo Salas, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology &
Institute of Simulation & Training
University of Central Florida
esalas@ist.ucf.edu
Outline Today…
I.
II.
Who cares about teamwork?
What matters in teamwork?
I.
III.
What do effective teams do?
I.
II.
IV.
Top ten list
Leaders behaviors
What can you do to enhance teamwork?
I.
V.
The 7 C’s
7 pieces of advice
Closing remarks.
I.
Who cares about
teamwork?
Who Cares about Teams?
Who Cares about Teams?
Who Cares about Teams?

Some
Instances
of Failures
of
Teamwork
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USS Vincennes shoots down
Iranian airbus (1988)
Challenger/Columbia accidents
tied to poor organizational
decision making (1986/2003)
Response to 9/11 reveals
communication breakdowns
(2001)
Katrina response lacked
coordination (2005); so did
Gulf Oil spill (2010)
Sago Mine disaster report cites
poor command-and-control
(2006)
VA Tech communications
substandard (2007)
Costa Concordia cruise ship
disaster (2012)
Friendly fire incidents
Various health care mishaps
attributed to poor teamwork
And some
successes…
Miracle on the
Hudson
Response
to Fargo
flooding
US 2004 Olympic Basketball
Team
"We
still have a couple of
days, but I don't know
where we are," replied USA
head coach Larry Brown …
I've got a pretty good
understanding of who
needs to play. Now the job
is to get an understanding
of how we have to play."
A team of experts does
NOT make an expert
team
Collaborative skill is
not additive
US 1980 Olympic Ice Hockey
Team
Herb Brooks and 20
young “no-names”
won the 1980
Olympic Gold Medal
in Ice Hockey
An expert team
made up of nonames…
II.
What Matters in
Teamwork?
What is the State of the Science?
How Do We Turn a Team of
Experts into an Expert Team?
What is the State of the Science?

Theoretically-driven (170+ models!)

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It’s a multi-disciplinary field
Explosion of empirical work!
Studying real teams; performing real
tasks

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“Nothing more practical than a good theory.”
“Teams in the Wild”
Simulations
Experts as participants
What is the State of the Science?

Hundreds of teams!

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Aviation
Healthcare
Military
Corporate world
Teams defined

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Task interdependency
Distributed expertise
Hierarchical organized
TEAMWORK
Conditions
Norms &
Support
Cooperation
Conflict
Motivational
Drivers
Conflict
Resolution
Procedures
Coordination
Behavioral
Mechanism
Coaching
Communication
Cognition
Information
Protocols
Common
Understanding
Leadership
Activities
Cooperation…

Attitudes & Beliefs:

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Team Orientation
Collective Efficacy
Mutual Trust
Openness to Experience
Good Teams…


Develop collective efficacy
Have strong team orientation
Coordination…

Behavioral Mechanisms:

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Mutual Performance Monitoring
Back-up Behavior/Supportive
Adaptability/ Flexibility
Good Teams…

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Self-correct
Employ huddle, debriefs
Communication…

Information exchange protocols:

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Close-loop communication
Precise, Timely, Clarity
Appropriate terminology
Good Teams…

Share unique information
Cognition…

Shared understanding:

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Roles & Responsibilities
Knowledge of team mission; Objectives, Norms,
& Resources
Familiarity with Teammates
Good Teams…

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Have clear roles
Team norms are clear
Coaching…

Leadership:

Team Leadership

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Promotes teamwork
Cares about team members
Sets ground rules
Good Teams…

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Have coaches
Set expectations
Clarify roles
Conflict…

Conflict resolution strategies:

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Interpersonal skills
Psychological safety
Good Teams…
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Deal with conflict, confront it
Coaches create psychological
safety
Conditions…

Supportive context
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Good performance recognized & reinforced
Access to resources
Information needed available
Policies, procedures & incentives aligns
Leadership sends “signals” that teamwork
matters
III. Ten
Characteristics of
Effective Teams…
Ten characteristics of effective
teams…
1.
Clear roles & responsibilities
…have members who
understand each others’
roles and how they fit
together.

2.
Compelling purpose – goal, vision

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…have a clear common purpose.
…energized by their shared mission.
…can evaluate current status in terms of a
destination.
Ten characteristics of effective
teams…
3.
Team coach (leader) – promotes,
develops, reinforces
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…leaders that directly intervene to enact teamwork
processes.
…have team members who believe the leaders care
about them.
…provide situation updates.
…set expectations.
…self-correct first.
…clarify roles.
…solicit ideas and observations from team members.
…seek out opportunities to reinforce effective
teamwork.
Ten characteristics of effective
teams…
4.
Mutual trust – familiarity

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…manage conflict well—team members confront
each other effectively.
…have a strong sense of team orientation.
…trust other team members’ “intentions”.
…strongly believe in the team’s collective capability
to succeed.
…develop collective efficacy.
Ten characteristics of effective
teams…
5.
Team norms – clear, known &
appropriate

6.
…what is acceptable “around here”.
Shared understanding of task, mission
& goals – hold shared mental models

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…have members who anticipate each other.
…can coordinate without overt communication.
Ten characteristics of effective
teams…
7.
Self-correct – huddles, debriefs
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…regularly provide feedback to each other, both
individually and as a team (“de-brief”).
…establish and revise team goals and plans.
…differentiate between higher and lower priorities.
…have mechanisms for anticipating and reviewing
issues/problems of members.
…periodically diagnose team "effectiveness”,
including its results, its processes, and its vitality
(morale, retention, energy).
Ten characteristics of effective
teams…
8.
Set expectations – clear, understood

9.
Shared unique information – efficient
information protocols

10.
…Know who does what, when & why
…huddles, debriefs can help.
Organizational conditions – policies,
procedures, signals
IV. Seven Pieces of
Advice…
Some Advice…
1.
Ensure all team members are trained on
team-based KSA’s…around six of the C’s…
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Team training ≠ Team building
Information, demonstration, practice & feedback,
key elements
Scenario carefully crafted
Event-based approach
Some Advice…
2.
​Teach how to Debrief and Huddle!- Simple,
Powerful, & Underutilized
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What worked?
What can be improved?
Focus on as many C’s as possible.
Debriefing works! (Tannenbaum, 2012)

25% Performance improvement
Some Advice…
3.
Use Simulation!
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Games, role plays
Accelerates expertise
Embedded instructional features
Some Advice…
4.
5.
6.
Develop team coaches…
Measure & Reinforce teamwork!
Ensure team is deployed appropriately…

7.
…Kick-off meeting
​For sustainability…create conditions
needed…
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…continuous process
…seek supervisory support
…not an event, journey
…CFO/CEO must see value, business case
V.
Closing Remarks…
Closing Remarks…
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Use team science!
Apply what we know!
Data on what works, compelling!
How can we help?