Information behavior in dynamic group work contexts: interwoven situational awareness, dense social networks and contested collaboration in command and control

In many dynamic work situations, no single individual can acquire the varie d and often rapidly expanding information needed for success. Individuals m ust work together to collect, analyze, synthesize and disseminate informati on throughout the work process. Perhaps one of the most dynamic work contex ts is command and control in the military at the battalion level which dire cts 300 to 1000 soldiers on the battlefield. This paper reports on a study that explores human information behavior in command and control (C2). Data was gathered from simulated battle exercises, interviews with experienced C 2 personnel and documentation on C2. During data analysis, three important themes that highlight the why, what, how and consequences of information be havior in CZ emerged. The first is the concept of interwoven situational aw areness consisting of individual, intragroup and intergroup shared understa nding of the situation. Interwoven situational awareness appears to facilit ate response to dynamic, constraint-bound situations. The second theme desc ribes the need for dense social networks or frequent communication between participants about the work context and situation, the work process and dom ain-specific information. The third theme is called 'contested collaboratio n', a phenomenon where team members maintain an outward stance of cooperati on but work to further their own interests, at times sabotaging the collabo rative effort. These results provide insights to the complex nature of huma n information behavior in dynamic and complex work contexts and lead to rec ommendations for training and further research. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science L td. All rights reserved.