The Definition and Measurement of Small Military Unit Team Functions

Abstract : This report examines the adequacy and applicability of a provisional taxonomy of team functions for describing team level (vs. individual) performance in Army field settings. The main product of the research was a revised taxonomy representing the first attempt at operationally defining team functions and constructs based on observations of actual Army teams performing routine training exercises. The report describes efforts to modify and validate the taxonomy as well as a laboratory study in which subjects used specifically designed rating scales to rate the extent to which team functions were present in videotaped segment of teamwork. This team function report is part of a broader program on training for combat effectiveness being conducted by the U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences (ARI).