Scenario-based Leadership Training for Joint Task Force Staff Officers

Joint interdependence is a mindset that embraces the concept of purposeful reliance on other service and joint capabilities to maximize their complementary and reinforcing effects while minimizing service vulnerabilities. Interdependence requires a broad understanding of the different strengths and limitations of each service's capabilities and clear agreement about how those capabilities will be committed. High performance teamwork is enabled by better understanding of the processes, capabilities, and cultures of the other organizations. This proposed research will result in advanced, computer-mediated training systems that employ technologies such as lightweight simulations, story-driven learning, and automated performance assessment and after-action review that enable joint staff officers to identify, appreciate, and manage cultural differences and better understand the capabilities, processes and cultures of other organizations. During Phase I, we will carry out a front-end analysis to specify training requirements and evaluate promising learning technologies that achieve these instructional goals. These requirements will be based on a model to be developed during Phase I that relates components of team performance with specific behaviors affected by cultural differences and understanding of other organizations. We plan to use existing team performance and cultural models as starting points for this new integrated model. A limited software prototype will help us communicate our concepts in a tangible form and elicit feedback and further participation from prospective end user organizations such as the joint colleges.