Functionally distributed coordination during anomaly response in space shuttle mission control

Traditionally, anomaly response and disturbance management have been studied in the context of a group mind, where a small homogeneous group of practitioners who are co-located work together to respond to system disturbances and anomalies. We have extended these studies by exploring the processes of dynamic fault management in the context of space shuttle mission control, which consists of a large group of interdependent, functionally distinct teams who coordinate to respond to system anomalies. We describe how the functionally distributed structure of these teams causes the anomaly response process to be more robust in the face of common errors like cognitive fixation, and we discuss new problems that arise in a structure that is functionally distributed. A better understanding of how the current mission control structure responds to anomalies should provide insight into how to support other domains in which activities and processes are distributed across a set of functionally distinct groups of practitioners.