Team Workload in Action Teams: A Review of Empirical Research

ObjectiveThis review examines how team workload has been studied in action team experiments, consolidates and synthesizes trends and findings, and identifies gaps and directions for future research.BackgroundTeam workload is often considered a team-level emergent construct distinct from individual workload, but the literature on action team research varies substantially in its conceptualization, manipulation, and measurement of the construct. Accurately characterizing team workload can inform strategies for improving how action teams operate under demanding conditions.MethodA literature review was conducted, focusing on empirical studies that examined team workload in action team experiments.ResultsWe identified diverse methods for measuring team workload, including subjective assessments, performance-based metrics, physiological indicators, and team interaction analyses. Team workload is predominantly analyzed as mean aggregates of individual workloads, though variance-based and configurational analyses were also observed. However, applications of various demand manipulations suggest nonlinear impacts on individuals and teams alike. These findings underscore the complex emergent properties of team workload, which individual workload measures may not capture fully.ConclusionsThere are numerous opportunities to improve and advance the study of team workload in action teams, including gaps in its conceptualization, dynamic measurement, and the application of demand manipulations.ApplicationsThis review's findings can guide researchers and practitioners in measuring and manipulating team workload in action teams, highlighting potential methodological pitfalls and offering insights into the relationship between common teaming variables and empirical findings. These insights can be applied to enhance system design, training programs, and team evaluation practices in action team domains.