Workload Transition Implications for Individual and Team Performance (1993) / Chapter Skim
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1 Team Transitions
1 Team Transitions
Pages 13-27
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From page 13... ...
(2) Closely parallel to the nuclear power plant incident is the response of the crew of a commercial airline, which suddenly becomes aware of a life-threatening malfunction- the loss of an engine or, in the case of United Airlines flight 232, complete loss of hydraulic power near Sioux City, Iowa (Predmore, 1991~.
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From page 14... ...
During active deployment, the reduction in crew size is likely to increase workload, thus increasing the potential for performance failures and errors unless compensatory measures are devised. Aside from a potentially high combat workload, the tank crew of the future may be faced with the additional problem of a long period of work underload and inactivity prior to active engagement in combat.
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From page 15... ...
It was the consensus of those contacted that, while the concept of work underload-overload transition has been given little, if any, attention and even less research emphasis, it is nevertheless an important problem encountered in many work settings ranging from naval patrols in enemy waters (e.g., the Persian Gulf) to rescue squads and other public emergency service workplaces.
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From page 16... ...
Planning and Preparation Before a mission or engagement, planning and preparation are the primary sources of workload for a tank crew, particularly for the tank commander. The lead time for formulating plans may be hours or even days.
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From page 17... ...
However, an individual tank commander's knowledge of the global situation may be extremely limited at this point; and less information is available up the chain of command about the position, status, and intentions of individual tanks or units. When planning and decision making must be performed online, time pressure may be acute, and the plans that are developed tend to focus on immediate events, rather than long-term strategies.
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From page 18... ...
Information transmitted by radio between tanks and intercom systems within a tank may be piecemeal and confusing. Each tank commander must update his mental model of the situation by piecing together incomplete information from a variety of sources and transmit relevant information to members of his crew, the unit, and up the chain of command.
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From page 19... ...
The tank commander and driver must work together to correlate the visual scene with information on maps to determine their current and projected position. The tank commander must work with the gunner to identify and classify targets as they are observed and transmit information about their location.
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From page 20... ...
Particularly for the tank commander, monitoring the radio and transmitting information impose a significant amount of workload during a mission. Within a tank, the shared intercom frequency not only facilitates coordination, but also creates a significant monitoring demand for all crew members.
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From page 21... ...
When the tank is buttoned up, the driver sees the outside world through three fixed vision blocks (narrow windows with ballistic glass) that are 7 1/4 inches long and 1 3/4 inches high built into the hatch cover.
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From page 22... ...
The gunner has the main responsibility for acquiring targets visually, tracking them with the aiming system, adjusting any fire control solutions in the computer, and firing the main gun. The gunner is second-in-command of the tank crew; he takes over in the event that the tank commander is unable to function.
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From page 23... ...
, and a main gun firing mechanism to be used if the gunner's main firing switch is inoperative or the gunner is disabled. The tank commander is responsible for the overall operation of the tank and its crew.
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From page 24... ...
It should be noted that all of these activities characterize sustained battlefield activity, as well as the immediate post-transition period. However, it is likely that spatial orientation, navigation and situation awareness, and strategic planning will undergo a particularly intense increase during the immediate post-transition period.
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From page 25... ...
good human factors principles may be applied specifically to address the problems of updating situation awareness in the crisis period immediately following the transition. This second application is quite analogous to the
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From page 26... ...
The first part of the report contains information from analogous systems that may provide insight on the variables that may affect performance during the transition and examines the workload domain -- which is the overriding context that interacts with moderating variables to affect performance. Chapter 2 presents an analysis of the features of similarity and contrast between the tank environment and other analogous systems and references relevant case studies and accident reports in other domains.
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From page 27... ...
Predmore, S.C. 1991 Micro-coding of cockpit communications in accident analyses: Crew coordination in the United Airlines flight 232 accident.
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