Modeling and Simulation of Skill Decay at the Organizational Team Level

摘要

When building teams, organizations select individuals capable of acquiring and maintaining skills requiredrnfor team success. Often, teams undergo a period of skill non-use that can result in skill decay during thernlifespan of the team. Despite this reality, researchers have failed to create a comprehensive model that canrnpredict complex skill decay at multiple levels within an organization. McDermott and colleagues (2016)rnproposed an equation to address this gap. Using simulation data, the present paper applies this equation tornmodel expected skill decay in three hypothetical contexts: simple, mid-range, and complex engineeringrndesign cases. The model predicts team-level skill decay in a holistic manner by integrating factors fromrntask, environment, and team characteristics. Results indicate that, while novel for its integrationrnmechanisms, the model maintains strong congruency with previous literature for individual factors. Werndiscuss ways that organizations may reduce complex skill decay as well as future research directions.