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Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographicaliy in this copy. Higher quality 6" x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMl directly to order. ProQuest Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 UMl' FACILITATING SYNCHRONOUS COLLABORATION AMONG DISTRIBUTED AGENTS IN THE AIR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School o f The Ohio State Universify By Jodi Heintz Obradovich, M S. ***** The Ohio State University 2001 Dissertation Committee Approved by Philip J. Smith, Advbor David D. Woods dvisor Charles Billings Department of Didustriai and Systems Engineering ' . îMte:»î UMl Number 3031238 UMl* UMl Microform 3031238 Copyright 2002 by Bell & Howell Information and Leaming Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition Is protected against unauthorÈed copying under Title 17, United States Code. Bell & Howell Information and Leaming Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Copyright, by Jodi Heîntz Obradovich 2001 ABSTRACT Work today is more cognitive than ever before. Workers participate in more teams and interact with more people having diverse expertise. This allows for multiple skills and perspectives to be brought to bear on problem-solving situations. With these changes arises the need to explore how people with different levels of expertise and diverse knowledge actually work together in the course of their “inter-situated.” activities. The emerging technologies to support collaborative work have the potential to enhance not only the effectiveness of intra-organizational teams but also inter- organizational collaborative teams. A rich example of inter-organizational cognitive teamwork can be found in the United States AirTraffic Management (ATM) System. The ATM System is an ongoing and dynamic distributed cognitive system with tremendously high stakes. Because of the cognitive complexity of managing the NAS, tasks are decomposed in a way that limits the amount of data and knowledge that each individual needs in order to do his or her work. When this assumption of task independence is inadequate, however, it is necessary for the responsible individuals to interact. An example of this is pre-flight planning, which is rapidly increasing fn the extent to which there is task interdependence among FAA traffic management staff and airline dispatch staff. As a result, there is a great need to develop effective methods for both groups to gather and synthesize data and to work coUaboratively decide how to act. n ' , -2 t/l"': ’■ ■ “ y The research described ia tWs dissertatioa is a descriptive study of the performance of dyads engaged in a specific collaborative problem-solving task focusing on inefficiencies in the ATM system. The investigation focuses on how problem solving proceeds when the team members are from these two distinct yet interdependent organizations with unique knowledge and expertise, are spatially distributed, have a shared display available to them, and must communicate by telephone rather than face to face. Also of interest is how the data provided by a shared cognitive display is used by the participants, and how this tool participates as part of the cognitive system in the problem-solving process by facilitating the sharing of uniquely held knowledge. The findings of this study are presented and the effectiveness of the artifacts used is evaluated. Suggestions are proposed for the design of collaborative support tools and for process improvements to the distributed work processes, such as the one studied. Contributions of this work within the fields of cognitive systems engineering, interaction technologies (e.g., computer supported collaborative work), and the National Airspace System are discussed. Questions for future research are posed. Ut ... To my husband and soulmate Tony and my children Nick, Clare, and Rebekah IV ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In order to fairly and accurately thank those who have contributed to my successes^ I would have to do two things - while reaching back to by grade school years, recall every person who has guided and influenced my love of leaming and thirst for knowledge and then put into words the debt of gratitude and appreciation I owe to each one. The first task is formidable, and the second requires using heart-full words in a way in which I am not skilled. So for all those t do not mention here, thank you. The following people have had a tremendous lasting impact on the most recent years of my life, and I thank them humbly and sincerely. I would first like to thank my parents, Tony and Joyce Heintz, for instilling their special work ethic, a love of leaming and discovery, and other qualities that have gotten me to where I am today. I thank my other family, the Obradoviches, for their unshaken confidence in me in this pursuit. To my next door neighbors, Bev and Bill Low, who are really part of my Columbus family who just happen to live next door, thank you for being there for my children as they were growing from babies, to toddlers, and now to soon-to- be young adults. Having “grandparents” like you was so good for them as their mom was being student. I want to thank the members of my dissertation committee, Philip Smith, David Woods, and Charles BQlings for supporting me in my academic work, wading through, all the details of my dissertation, and helping me to find the light at the end of the tunnel. I began my career-as-student under the advisement of David Woods, and his continued interest in and support of my work when my research moved me to another advisor, only served to make me a better muIti-discipKned practitioner of cognitive systems engineering. I feel most fortunate that I was able to collaborate with David on otherprojects that served to enrich my experience during my years at Ohio State. The encouragement, kind words, and wisdom that Charlie Billings shared with me over the years meant much to me. I appreciate your gentle way of critiquing my work and of nudging me in a more productive direction. Thank you, Dave and Charlie, for your unshaken belief that i have the skills and knowledge necessary to become a paitner with you in the work we have before us. The confidence you have in me has helped me to build it within myself. I express my most sincere and highest form of appreciation to my advisor, Phil Smith, for his guidance, encouragement, and understanding throughout the entire period over which these studies were conducted. Phil, your insight and suggestions were most valuable at every step in my path to the doctoral degree. Your patience, understanding, and support as I attempted to balance the demands of academia, while trying to raise my children in a loving and supportive home, made my experience that much more positive. You let me keep family as my highest priority without ever making me feel as though I was shortchanging my work for you, and yet you still challenged me to stretch and grow intellectually. I look forward to working with you as your colleague, and to our continuing friendship. I am indebted to the contribution of time and resources by representatives of both the airline and the FAA Air Route Traffic Control Centers with whom I worked. I thank Joe Bertapelli for his enthusiasm and for his help in allowing the dispatchers to participate in my study. IBs time and effort that went into organizing this effort is very much appreciated. I appreciate the time spent and planning done by Roger Beatty in order to make this project work. I thank him for the use of his cubicle, his computer, and his availability when there were technical difficulties. Very special thanks go to Tim Schmitz: who always came to the rescue when the conferencing technology was challenging me and winning. E also thank the managers at the Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, and New York En Route Centers for inviting me to VI come and conduct my research and for permitting their traffic managers to participate. The participants themselves deserve to be recognized because they enthusiastically volunteered to participate in something they knew little about and then engaged their dyad partners in conversations that led to the results of my study and allowed me to complete this dissertation. Unquestionably, this work would not have been possible without them. I thank the management team at my favorite fast-food establishment for offering me a place to park my car so that I did not have to spend endless numbers of minutes searching for a parking spot. I also appreciate them for my rent-free workspace, and for their willingness to be engaged in conversation when 1 needed a diversion from my work.