Individual and Team Selection for Mars Missions Susannah Paletz Judith Orasanu NASA Ames Research...
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Transcript of Individual and Team Selection for Mars Missions Susannah Paletz Judith Orasanu NASA Ames Research...
Individual and Team Individual and Team Selection for Mars Selection for Mars
MissionsMissionsSusannah PaletzJudith Orasanu
NASA Ames Research Center
August 7, 2005Meridiani Base: The 2nd Mars Expedition Planning Workshop
University of British Columbia Vancouver, British Columbia
This research was supported by the Human-Systems Integration Program at NASA.This talk represents the opinions of the authors and does not represent any official opinion of NASA.
OverviewOverview
Why selection? State of the art for individual selection
Science of selection Relevant validated knowledge, skills, abilities
Individual selection for Mars State of the art on team selection Team selection for Mars: needed research Conclusion
Why Selection?Why Selection? Whom do you want to send to Mars?
Right tool for the job – people are resources too
Selection, if done properly, uses science to help you choose the right people, preventing mission failures due to skill or compatibility breakdowns
This is too important to leave to chance
Selection Gone WrongSelection Gone Wrong
Manager of Computer Engineers
Expert Computer EngineerNovice Computer Engineer
? !not sonatural
progression
naturalprogression
Individual Selection Needs for Individual Selection Needs for Mars MissionsMars Missions
Distance from Earth and small numbers means crew must be able to Work autonomously Be multi-purpose people
Be flexible, adaptive Have good learning and metacognitive skills
Three necessary areas of individual ability: Ability to do the job Ability to tolerate and function in the work context /
environment of space, Mars Ability to work harmoniously with a team and maintain
a positive team climate
The Job (Work) AnalysisThe Job (Work) Analysis Job (or “work”) analysis underlies creation of
Performance criteria Selection measures Training
Job analysis determines Tasks & activities of the job Knowledge, skills, abilities, & other characteristics required
(KSAOs) Work context: physical and social environment
More complex analyses incorporate Organizational goals Customer requirements Changing nature of work
Selection MethodsSelection Methods
Questionnaires Interviews (panel, individual) Assessment centers Past history / biographical data Work samples and simulations
Selection should help give applicants a realistic idea of the job AND
criteria should vary based on the specific tasks/mission.
Individual Selection Individual Selection for Mars Missionsfor Mars Missions
History of astronaut selection at NASA Select-in and select-out Medical, psychiatric, observation, etc. Recent validation attempts examine psychological
characteristics
Past KSAOs identified: Intelligence, technical aptitude Tolerance for / Ability to handle extreme stress Physical fitness And many more…
Making Selection ScientificMaking Selection Scientific
Make sure your performance AND selection measures are:
Reliable Valid
Content validity Construct validity Criterion validity
ValidatedValidated KSAOs for Occupations KSAOs for Occupations Related to Mars MissionsRelated to Mars Missions
General mental ability Ability to learn/training proficiency, metacognitive
skills Task-related expertise, previous success,
success in simulators, education, etc. Conscientiousness, motivation, work ethic Extraversion (for certain kinds of team
performance) Agreeableness for team performance Emotional stability Openness to experience Compatible family situation
Task-Related KSAOs Task-Related KSAOs for Long-Duration Mars Missionsfor Long-Duration Mars Missions
Task expertise, experience, education (e.g., geology, engineering, piloting, etc.)
General mental ability Conscientiousness, motivation, dedication,
etc. Training proficiency
Work Context-Related KSAOsWork Context-Related KSAOsfor Long-Duration Mars Missionsfor Long-Duration Mars Missions Physically fit Compatible family situation Ability to withstand boredom / be easily entertained;
tolerance for lack of variability in the environment Resiliency to stress (physical & emotional)
Sleep deprivation Danger Microgravity, changing back to gravity Tolerance for isolation, confinement
Sense of humor Perseverance What more?
Teamwork-Related KSAOsTeamwork-Related KSAOsfor Long-Duration Mars Missionsfor Long-Duration Mars Missions Leadership / followership Agreeableness Emotional stability & control Openness to experience,
flexibility Communication skills Collaborative problem
solving, coordination skills “Right stuff,” e.g., from PCI Conflict resolution Group living skills Maturity
Ability to train others Emotional intelligence,
insight, wisdom Value teamwork Role flexibility Understand teamwork
processes Cultural sensitivity Language facility (e.g.,
Japanese, Russian, English) Optimism Etc.
Research Needs for Research Needs for Individual SelectionIndividual Selection
Work analysis for Meridiani Base missions Selection & performance measures as free
from bias as possible Validation of suggested Mars KSAOs More research in confined/isolated
environments What about flight controllers and other support personnel?
Individual vs. Team SelectionIndividual vs. Team Selection
Team Selection: Team Selection: State of the ArtState of the Art
Composition literature: homogeneous, heterogeneous, one group dominates…? Personality Gender Age Ethnicity National, organizational culture Opinions, assumptions Profession
What do you do when a team member is in the minority?
Crews will be heterogeneous by necessity in terms of expertise, nationality…
Team Selection, con’tTeam Selection, con’t
Compatibility research Married couples Roommates
Tools for team research Statistics for nested data, e.g., hierarchical
linear modeling Research on sociometry, group dynamics
(SYMLOG)
Needs in Needs in Team Selection ResearchTeam Selection Research
Team-level work analysis Crew sizing and composition
based on work analysis Team composition of other
factors Team compatibility Team-level selection
Team-level cohesion, productivity, and performance metrics
More systematic studies of teams in isolated and confined environments
Additional Implications for Individual Additional Implications for Individual and Team Selection for Mars Missionsand Team Selection for Mars Missions
Work analysis can also inform Crew size and therefore mission planning, size of
habitat, etc. Performance appraisals Training
Other issues to resolve: Redundancy in skills important?
Meta-skills like trainability may help Changing work environment
Space Mars space Changing tasks, technology Group development over time
ConclusionConclusion Selection is vital to pick the right crew to
Do the task Tolerate the environment Maintain team harmony and positive group climate
Selection methods should be evaluated for success
Warning: psychological science is a science of averages, not engineering, therefore…
Countermeasures, training, mitigations are still necessary for team and mission success
Thank YouThank You
Yuri TadaBonny Parke Edna FiedlerAnnette SpychalskiSteve Vander ArkPamela BaskinsMike de los ReyesAdam DoleJen CosmasLori McDonnellLaQuisha BeckumJay TrimbleMary Kaiser
For the full literature review with references, see (in a few months) Paletz, S.B.F. Individual Selection and Crew Assembly: A Gap Analysis. Technical Memorandum.