ABSTRACT
Ever since Hutchins (1995) proposed the concept of distributed cognition, researchers have used it to describe decision-making processes beyond a single human individual in diverse applied settings. Cognition is here seen as a phenomenon mediated via social interaction and technological artifacts that serve as tags or reminders for distributed knowledge. Pitched as “cognition in the wild,” it shares the commitment of naturalistic decision-making researchers that to obtain an appropriate understanding of a complex phenomenon, decision making has to be studied as it occurs in the field context rather than be stripped of its complexities in controlled lab studies (Klein, Orasanu, Calderwood, & Zsambok, 1993; Klein et al., 2003). The approach has also inspired researchers working on computer-supported collaborative work to understand how people use their physical environment, including information technology, as external support for their cognitive processes. There is some debate between proponents of distributed cognition and proponents of activity theory whether cognition can reside in inanimate objects such as artifacts or information technology (Halverson, 2002; Nardi, 2002), yet both approaches emphasize that the unit of analysis should be the system level of the activity, including team interaction and artifacts. In our analysis of decision making in distributed teams, we take inspiration from these approaches to conceptualize distributed decision making as it occurs in practice, and to discuss how it can be supported by means of technology.
