ABSTRACT
Research on teams engaged in problem-solving tasks suggests that they can generate representations of a problem that differ from those developed by an individual working alone, potentially providing richer or more effective insights into the problem. In this paper, we discuss issues surrounding the building of team mental models that were gained through a series of investigations that included field studies and structured interviews. The results of one U.S. Army Brigade process that enables the sharing of information and expert knowledge in the complex cognitive activity of planning for battlefield operations are presented. Design concepts to support distributed work and the building of common ground and team mental models are suggested.
