Understanding team adaptation to unexpected events in drone operations training

Understanding human adaptations under varying scenarios is a critical concern from the earliest stages of system design. This study develops within the context of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and examines human performance variability during simulated drone operations using the Event Analysis of Systemic Teamwork (EAST) method. The analysis focuses on bird strike events that each of the five participating teams unexpectedly faced during simulated training scenarios. First, Work-As-Instructed (WAIn) EAST networks were constructed based on available Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to be trained. These were subsequently compared to Work-As-Trained (WAT) networks developed based on communication logs and transcribed audio recordings from training sessions. The comparative analysis reveals both adaptive behavioural observed tendencies and discrepancies in task-knowledge-agent couplings, visualised via a newly developed joint cognitive network variability matrix. The findings highlight the value of capturing trainee behaviours in terms of task, knowledge, and social interactions while using emerging technologies.