THE IMPACT OF CROSS-TRAINING AND WORKLOAD ON TEAM FUNCTIONING - A REPLICATION AND EXTENSION OF INITIAL FINDINGS

Although previous research has shown that cross-training team members improves team performance, a number of questions remain concerning the nature of cross-training. The current study provides an extension of previous cross-training research bf investigating two theoretical issu es: the nature of cross-training and the joint impact of cross-trainin g and workload on team functioning. The study examined 40 three-person teams performing a simulated radar task. Results indicated that posit ional rotation was an effective cross-training method for highly inter dependent tasks, that cross-trained teams developed a greater degree o f interpositional knowledge than did teams that were not cross-trained , and that cross-training was important only under high-workload perfo rmance conditions. The current study suggests that the type of cross-t raining necessary to improve team performance may be related to the na ture of the task and that cross-training may be effective in allowing teams to coordinate implicitly - that is, without the need to communic ate overtly. Taken together with previous work, the results of this st udy indicate strong support for the efficacy of cross-training as a me ans to help teams perform well. Potential applications of this researc h include training for military, medical, and aviation teams.