Instant Messaging and Team Performance in a Simulated Command and Control Environment

Abstract

Abstract : Recent trends in military acquisition have emphasized the desire to introduce collaboration technologies into the command and control and control environment. Personnel in this environment may be disparate in terms of rank, occupation, and even geographical location, yet are expected to rapidly coalesce into functioning teams in order to meet task requirements. It has been proposed that integration and performance may be facilitated through emerging collaborative technologies, such as email, instant messaging (IM), virtual whiteboards, and videoconferencing. Proponents of Network Enabled Capability (NEC) argue that these technologies might engender a degree of command decentralization that would result in increased situational awareness and task flexibility for battle managers. However, there are growing concerns about the potential negative impact on performance associated with the use of collaborative tools in distributed team environments.