Team Task Switching: A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Functional Work Shifts

• Published in: Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting 2015-09, Vol.59 (1), p.1157-1161
• Main Authors: McDonald, Joseph D., DeChurch, Leslie A., Asencio, Raquel, Carter, Dorothy R., Mesmer-Magnus, Jessica R., Contractor, Noshir S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1541-9312; 1071-1813; 2169-5067
• DOI: 10.1177/1541931215591179

Modern work environments are technologically and socially rich, requiring individuals to manage multiple tasks that involve different technologies and varying degrees of interdependence. Individual and team performance hinge on functional work shifts that can involve changing tasks (multi-tasking), technologies (multi-tooling), and/or teammates (multi-teaming). We extend research on task switching to explain how the social and technological dimensions of tasks affect switch costs. The task switching literature identifies lateral shifts that occur when individuals change tasks. We also consider vertical switches that occur when individuals change from independent (i.e., working alone) to interdependent work (i.e., as part of a team) or from interdependent to independent work. We then integrate personological, social, task, and technological factors into one conceptual framework. Our framework lays the groundwork for understanding the effect of functional work shifts on task and team performance in modern-day work environments.