Understanding Team Effectiveness in a Tactical Air Unit

摘要

Effective team work is regarded as a key factor for success in missions performed by fighter aircraft in a Tactical Air Unit (TAU). Many factors contribute to how a team will succeed in their mission. From the existing literature on teamwork, Salas, Sims and Burke [1], suggested five main factors and three supporting mechanisms for effective team work. These were proposed as the "Big Five" of teamwork. This article investigates if the model offered by Salas et al. is applicable to a TAU of fighter aircraft. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with six fighter pilots. The results of these interviews imply that the model has relevance for the teamwork in a TAU. Moreover, this paper discusses implications for the design of future decision-support systems that support team effectiveness.