ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book discusses that computer-mediated communication and coordination are increasingly prevalent in military systems. It investigates the reasons why face-to-face teams have higher levels of trust than distributed teams. The book argues that cross-team training can help the team develop as a functionally interdependent unit, establishing common ground, trust and cohesion through coordination of activity and development of shared mental models. It explores the role of swift starting action teams in multinational collaborative operations. The book also argues that these have become an important focus now that armed forces are primarily engaged in stability operations. It describes an Actor Network Theory perspective to investigate trust in military socio-technical systems. Military personnel are increasingly required to interact with civilian populations, and trust is an essential factor in developing good relationships with local people.
