Optimizing Team Performance When Resilience Falters: An Integrated Training Approach

摘要

The U.S. Army strives to provide effective training for its soldiers. Part of this training is designed to build resilience, enabling soldiers and leaders to optimize personal readiness and performance in environments of uncertainty and persistent danger. Training complex tasks under high levels of stress is one way to support the development of resilience; another way is to train individuals in the use of specific resilience-based skills. Soldiers can use these skills not only to benefit their functioning but also to benefit the functioning of their teammates. The current paper reports on an innovative team-based approach to resilience training. Both the training content and training method provide novel approaches to addressing resilience in the context of high-stress scenarios. In terms of content, the training includes specific performance enhancement techniques that individuals can use to focus attention and optimize energy, and a method for intervening at the point-of-injury if a teammate experiences an acute stress reaction. In terms of method, the training includes classroom, virtual simulation, and live training. The resultant integrated training approach is Team Overmatch. This training milieu allows for the development, implementation, and evaluation of training modules fully embedded into tactical training. This paper discusses how innovative resilience strategies are integrated in a larger curriculum, including situational awareness, teamwork, and medical care, and how the training is being assessed in terms of knowledge and implementation.