Naturalistic Decision Making

#46: Insights into Team Training and Performance with Joan Johnston

Sep 18, 2023

Dr. Joan Johnston, a retired Senior Research Scientist with over 30 years of experience, discusses her work in Learning, Team Training, Decision Making under Stress, and Performance Measurement. She shares insights on the importance of task analysis in team training, the impact of the TABNIS program on team training and performance, and the challenges in studying teams and team development.

49:33

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Episode guests

Joan Johnston

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Quick takeaways

The Tabnis program in naturalistic decision making research was instrumental in improving team performance by emphasizing task analysis and the use of tablet-based tools.

Building successful multi-disciplinary research teams requires adequate funding, team members with relevant skills, and educating the team about team performance research methodologies.

Deep dives

Career journey and early research

Joan Johnston discusses the early stages of her career, including her first published paper on the self-perception of community control officers. She also highlights her interest in real-world problems and how her prior work experience influenced her focus on helping people work better. Additionally, she reflects on her transition to naturalistic decision making research and the significant impact of the Tabnis program in solidifying the NDM movement.

Introduction

2min

Early Career and First Paper

5min

Exploring Real World Problems and the Path to Naturalistic Decision Making

2min

Insights and Impact of the TABNIS Program on Team Training and Performance

4min

Developing Effective Team Training Strategies

8min

The Importance of Task Analysis in Team Training

22min

Studying Teams and Team Development

6min

Dr. Joan H. Johnston (Retired) has over 30 years of experience as a Senior Research Scientist with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Army. She has written and collaborated on over 100 publications and has given innumerable presentations and tutorials about her research which has had a significant impact on advancing the science of Learning, Team Training, Decision Making under Stress, Performance Measurement, and Organizational Development. She obtained her M.A. and Ph.D. in Industrial & Organizational Psychology from the University of South Florida.

Dr. Johnston’s career with the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD) was marked by extensive collaborations across the Department of Defense, academia, and private industry. She was a principal Investigator and project manager for the Office of Naval Research (ONR) sponsored Tactical Decision Making Under Stress (TADMUS) program; ONR recognized her outstanding performance with the Dr. Arthur E. Bisson Prize for Naval Technology Achievement. In 2001 the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology also recognized this achievement with the M. Scott Myers Award for Applied Research in the Workplace.

In recognition of her sustained performance excellence NAVAIR made Dr. Johnston a Research and Engineering Associate Fellow in 2008. After 22 years Dr. Johnston moved on to a promotion
as the U.S. Army Research Institute’s Unit Chief in Orlando, and then eventually joined the U.S. Army Research Laboratory as a Senior Scientist at the Simulation Training and Technology
Center (STTC). She continued to work across agencies and services in pursuit of advancing the science of team training. She and her colleagues were recognized in 2016 for their outstanding accomplishments with the Department of the Army Achievement Medal for Civilian Service and the NTSA Modeling and Simulation Team Award. Dr. Johnston’s leadership on this program

Learn more about Joan:

Connect on LinkedIn

See more of her work

Learn more about NDM at NaturalisticDecisionMaking.org.

Where to find the hosts:

Brian Moon

Laura Militello