Merging internal and external processes: examining the mental model convergence process through team communication

Abstract

Mental model convergence is a macrocognitive process critical to team development. Yet, little is known about how the convergence process occurs in a team domain. To date, researchers have examined convergence at specific points in time after performance episodes. While this approach has moved the field forward, research is needed that captures the dynamics of the convergence process as it occurs during collaborative activities. To facilitate this needed research, we present a framework for examining mental model convergence via communicated mental model content. Our framework is theoretically based on research in cognitive science and communication, as well as more recent team mental model research. By explicitly establishing the theoretical connection between mental model convergence and team communication, we extend the extant research that links communication and team cognition and address a gap in the team mental model literature regarding how to examine the mental model convergence process over time.

Keywords:

• mental model convergence
• macrocognitive processes
• team mental models
• communication

Acknowledgements

This research is supported in part by the Collaboration and Knowledge Interoperability program of the Office of Naval Research, grant nos. N000140210535 and N000140610031, and the Innovations in Organizations program of the National Science Foundation, grant no. 0092805.