Investigating Transactive Memory Systems of Multiteam Systems in Aviation

Abstract

The highly effective air traffic depends and will also depend in the future on the collaboration of human protagonists from different organizations. The project “Inter-Team Collaboration” (ITC) aims to provide system engineers with tools and concepts for human factors that allow systemic access to the social side of socio-technical systems. A main question is how to induce collaborative decision-making within the dynamic environment of air traffic management (ATM) in order to make it more adaptive and resilient. Research design A crucial factor for collaboration in multi-team systems is the transactive memory system (TMS), built up and maintained by the interactions between team members as well as multi-team members. There are currently plans to develop an intervention which would facilitate the formation of TMS structures within the multi-team. Furthermore, a set of methods will be used to assess the TMS structures and communication processes in the laboratory studies and field cases. A laboratory study is planned to examine the initial TMS intervention under controlled conditions with non-expert participants. In addition to the laboratory study, we will use large-scale simulations in the context of three use-cases with experienced operators in order to investigate these methods. The three cases are, first, the Airport Control Center for Airport Management, second, the sector-less, time-based control of aircraft, and third, the Multiple-Remote-Tower Center. Results / Practical Implications / Relevance By using real-time simulations with operational experts, the results will have implication what kind of intervention is appropriate for enhancing TMS structures of MTS in aviation and how can TMS structures be measured? In conclusion, the ITC project presents the opportunity to investigate these topics in an interdisciplinary team as well as to bring together different capabilities and competencies for the purpose of investigating transactive memory systems of MTS in aviation on different levels and in an iterative process.