Improving Teams' Interpositional Knowledge Through Cross Training

Abstract

Recent investigations of team training have demonstrated advantages of cross training team members in the positions of other team members. Such benefits have been attributed to increases in interpositional knowledge. In an attempt to reduce the time demands of cross training, a conceptual cross-training condition that targeted teamwork knowledge was compared to traditional full cross-training and two control conditions. Three-person teams were assigned to a training condition and participated in two synthetic helicopter missions. Outcomes, team process behaviors, team situation awareness, taskwork knowledge, and teamwork knowledge were measured. Results indicated weak support for the benefits of full cross-training on team performance, yet minimal support for conceptual cross-training. Further, teams cross-trained in the traditional manner acquired more teamwork and taskwork interpositional knowledge than teams in any other condition. Both types of interpositional knowledge were correlated with team performance.