This research investigated the determinants and outcomes of shared mental models of skill
use in autonomous work teams. A model of the determinants and outcomes (team task behaviors)
of shared mental models of skill use was tested. Three components of shared mental models of
skill use were investigated: shared knowledge pertaining to skill use in task performance (i.e.,
knowledge about the task, equipment, team, and team interaction), shared expectations for skill
use in task performance in both routine and non-routine situations, and shared attitudes relevant to
skill use in task performance (i.e., collective orientation and collective efficacy). The model
included the interdependence, uncertainty, and complexity of the technology; the degree to which
the team is cross-trained and its membership stable; and the level of prior experience team
members have had with teamwork as the determinants of overlap in a team's mental model of skill
use. The beneficial outcomes of a high degree of overlap in the team's mental model of skill use
were four team task behaviors: flexibility, quality, verbal communication, and time required in
task planning. The flexibility construct was defined as the degree to which a team allocated and
used the multiple competencies/skills of each of its members in pursuit of team goals. A model of
the development of flexibility was developed as was a theory of the role of shared mental models
in flexible skill use.
