“Shared Knowledge in Complex Teams – An investigation of the shared mental model construct”

Supervisor: prof.dr. F.R.H. Zijlstra
Co-supervisors: dr. R.R.A. van Doorn; dr. J. van der Pal

Highly dynamic and complex work environments require team members who effectively work together. A valuable notion to improve teamwork in complex work environments is shared knowledge, which helps the team members to jointly work towards a common goal. This dissertation contributes to improve teamwork, particularly among air traffic controllers, through showing that team members should share knowledge of the equipment, the task and the team. In addition, this dissertation shows that information exchange between team members during a guided team discussion increases their shared knowledge, which eventually contributes to effective communication and performance among team members.

Keywords: teamwork, shared knowledge, complex work environments