Who (or What) Is a Teammate? A Conceptual Foundation for Human-Technology Teaming

As technology is increasingly integrated into teamwork, it is important to consider how and when human and non-human entities may function as teammates and the conditions under which they may be regarded as such. Drawing on cross-disciplinary literature, we advance a comprehensive conceptualization of “teammate,” which suggests that teammates take many forms, operate within various contexts, and are perceived as teammates. From this definition, we outline a set of guiding questions to consider before viewing technology as teammates with case examples to illustrate how one might use these questions in practice. Implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed.