title: 'We didn't know anything, it was a mess!' Emergent structures and the effectiveness of a rescue operation multi-team system.
abstract: Multi-team systems (MTS) are used to tackle unpredictable events and to respond effectively to fast-changing environmental contingencies. Their effectiveness is influenced by within as well as between team processes (i.e. communication, coordination) and emergent phenomena (i.e. situational awareness). The present case study explores the way in which the emergent structures and the involvement of bystanders intertwine with the dynamics of processes and emergent states both within and between the component teams. Our findings show that inefficient transition process and the ambiguous leadership generated poor coordination and hindered the development of emergent phenomena within the whole system. Emergent structures and bystanders substituted leadership functions and provided a pool of critical resources for the MTS. Their involvement fostered the emergence of situational awareness and facilitated contingency planning processes. However, bystander involvement impaired the emergence of cross-understandings and interfered with coordination processes between the component teams. Practitioner Summary: Based on a real emergency situation, the present research provides important theoretical and practical insights about the role of bystander involvement in the dynamics of multi-team systems composed to tackle complex tasks and respond to fast changing and unpredictable environmental contingencies.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , Babeş-Bolyai University , Cluj-Napoca , Romania.
authors.forename: Alina Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Fleştea
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , Babeş-Bolyai University , Cluj-Napoca , Romania.
authors.forename: Oana Cătălina
authors.initials: OC
authors.lastname: Fodor
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , Babeş-Bolyai University , Cluj-Napoca , Romania.|b Department of Organization , Open University of the Netherlands , Heerlen , The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Petru Lucian
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Curşeu
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , Babeş-Bolyai University , Cluj-Napoca , Romania.
authors.forename: Mircea
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miclea
mesh_terms: D000060:Accidents, Aviation; D001364:Awareness; D003142:Communication; D004630:Emergencies; D006126:Group Processes; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D018635:Rescue Work / Q000458:organization & administration*
keywords: Multi-team system; emergent phenomena; informal structures; leadership; team processes