| This study evaluates the role of team planning and the similarity of team shared mental models (TSMMs) as predictors of two types of collaborative behaviors that are known to contribute to team performance. A computer-based Networked Fire Chief (NFC) simulation task was used as a testing environment for emergent and dynamic situations. The relationships among team planning, similarity of task-focused team shared mental models (TASKTSMMs), similarity of team-focused team shared mental models (TEAMTSMMs), team backup behaviors, and implicit coordination were tested. This study provides evidence for the mediation effect of similarity of TASKTSMMs between team planning and team backup behaviors, and the mediation effect of team backup behaviors between similarity of TASKTSMMs and team performance. The results suggest that better team planning is more likely to encourage more backup behaviors and improved performance through teams having more similar task-focused mental models. Both the theoretical and practical implications were discussed and the limitations and future research were also addressed in the study. |
