Linking adaptation processes to team performance in high-tempo, high-stakes teamwork: a large-scale gaming perspective

Abstract

This study surveys and synthesises prior research on the processes by which teams adapt when collaborating on high-tempo, high-stakes work. Of principal concern are adaptation processes within teams operating in extreme environments, whether precipitated by changes within the team itself (such as loss or gain of new members) or within the team’s operational environment (such as unplanned-for contingencies). Propositions concerning three aspects of adaptation are developed: changes in the distribution of workflow across team members, improvisation of team members’ individual roles, and emergent behaviours intended to compensate for fluctuations in team member performance. Issues and opportunities for addressing these propositions in highly instrumented environments are then identified, taking as a test case the multiplayer online battle arena combat game, League of Legends. This article concludes with a discussion of opportunities and challenges in using detailed and voluminous naturally occurring data from highly instrumented environments – whether real or virtual – to address the propositions presented here.