The Emergency Mind Podcast Episode 125 - Measuring Team Performance Part I
Jan 5, 2026
In this discussion, trauma surgeon Eric Benoit, visual neuroscientist Zab Johnson, risk management researcher Jay Bologna, and critical care expert Ayan Sen share insights into the nuances of measuring team performance. They explore how teams often fixate on outcomes instead of processes, the perils of subjective self-assessment, and the importance of after-action reviews. Ayan highlights efforts to develop cardiac arrest team scores, while Zab opens up on neuroscience metrics of teamwork. The panel emphasizes trust, leadership, and the integration of creative friction as keys to enhancing performance.
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Performance Versus Outcome
- Performance differs from outcome: performance is execution under control while outcome is what happens.
- Focusing solely on outcomes ignores luck and misses actionable learning.
Outcome Fixation Limits Learning
- Teams often fixate on outcomes like mortality because they're easier to measure.
- That fixation hampers learning about the controllable processes that determine performance.
Make AARs Practical And Realistic
- Pair qualitative after-action reviews with mechanisms that acknowledge limits of control.
- Avoid recommendations that assume the world will be fully under the team's control.
