Developing and Validating a Measure of Team Coordination Using Unobtrusive Data: The RADSM Process

Within the domain of team processes, ample research has utilized subjective measures such as surveys and observations. However, subjective measures are often limited and may be prone to bias. Further, advances in technology have provided new data collection methodologies (e.g., wearables) in addition to increased access to data (e.g., email, chat). Despite such advances, there lacks a well-adopted systematic process to develop measures from systems based or unobtrusive data. As a result, the purpose of the current study was to develop a measure of team coordination utilizing a systematic process of unobtrusive measure development, the Rational Approach to Developing Systems-based Measures (RADSM) process, within an experimental research paradigm of five-person teams completing military-like missions (N=38; total N = 95). The RADSM process produced a 9-item, four factor measure of unobtrusive team coordination. Results from the current study demonstrate a partial validation of the measure of unobtrusive team coordination across the four factors. Further, the developed measure was shown to individually predict performance as well as predict performance when within the same model as subjective coordination. When examined with performance, factors related to information sharing, the dispersion of information sharing, and team communication exchange predicted performance. Taken together, the current study provides initial support for the RADSM process when developing an unobtrusive measure of team coordination. Given the novelty of technology-based unobtrusive measure development, potential contributors to the lack of validation as well as best practices and lessons learned are discussed