Assessing team workload under automation based on a subjective performance measure

Abstract

This study presents a subjective measure approach to assess how automation impacts teamwork. Hart and Staveland (1988) indicated that the subjective measure approach is the conventional most commonly used workload assessment method that represents the criteria against which other measures are evaluated. The subjective experience of an operating crew regarding workload normally involves the influence of many factors in addition to the objective demands imposed by a particular task. Therefore, this study first assumes that team workload is a hypothetical construct that represents the cost incurred by a specific crew to achieve a particular level of team performance. The concept of team workload is developed by applying individual workload concepts, principles, and relations to a team environment. Although teams are increasingly important in the workplace, team workload has seldom been evaluated in literature. Therefore, this study develops a subjective performance measure approach to optimize team workload. An illustrative example demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Results of this study significantly contribute to research efforts in the field of workload measurement under automation.