ABSTRACT
Today an ever-increasing number of dynamic systems, such as nuclear power plants, air traffic control, industrial process plants etc. rely on the accurate performance of teams rather than on individuals. A dynamic system is here characterized by the fact that the state of a system changes both autonomously as well as a consequence of the decision-makers' actions and that several interdependent decisions in real time are required if the system is to be controlled (Brehmer, 1992). A common feature which most dynamic systems share is that events happen fast, are often complex, consist of several components and require rapid analysis and decision making under severe time pressure (Orasanu and Connelly, 1993). It follows that the management of dynamic systems require considerable teamwork which often requires a substantial amount of communication. The fact that many decisions have to be made in parallel and actions have to be taken in real time requires that the operator teams need to maintain a rather accurate overall awareness of the process managed on a continuous basis. In addition, it is desirable that this continuous awareness is mutually shared among the team members.
