A Systematic Review of Communication in Distributed Crews in High-Risk Environments. (September 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Rockwood, Justine; Nathan-Roberts, Dan
• Is Part Of: Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society ... Annual Meeting. Volume 62:Part 1(2018)
• Page Start: 102
• Page End: 106
• Publication Date: 2018-09
• Subjects: Human engineering -- Congresses; 620.8205
• DOI: 10.1177/1541931218621023
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1541-9312

Abstract

Effective communication is critical to team performance but can be impacted by the distribution of team members. Distribution is increasingly found in high-risk environments where task complexity necessitates geographic and/or temporal separation of team members. Understanding the impact of distribution on communication is critical to ensuring effective team performance. We review the research examining communication in distributed teams in high-risk environments to provide an overview of the literature to date. Articles examining communication in distributed teams were analyzed in a systematic review following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Themes relevant to the research question were extracted from the studies using thematic analysis. Five themes were identified: updating shared mental models, effects of transmission lags, content of communication, communication protocols, and technological advances. The five themes identify directions for future research.