Oral communication as a performance indicator in control rooms

Abstract

The present research investigates collaborative operations in control rooms. Especially in critical situations, operators are required to work together in order to detect abnormal system behaviour in time, diagnose the causes and decide on a remedy. While supervising complex processes together, teams coordinate their activities by using effective communication. However, which communication indicators are valuable for assessing a Team member’s capabilities of solving critical situations effectively? The present study, with 48 teams of three (n=144), investigates the value of oral communication for predicting performance results of operators dealing with abnormal system behaviour while executing a control room task. The findings are discussed in the context of personnel selection and training team members in control rooms.