The metacognitive underpinnings of effective cognitive teamwork

Groups often outperform individuals in cognitive tasks. However, there is little consensus on the cognitive mechanisms that underlie effective teamwork. Here we propose that metacognitive awareness—an individual’s ability to understand and reflect on their own cognitive processes as well as those of their peers—plays a critical role in facilitating effective group work. This ability includes recognizing not only one’s own strengths and weaknesses but also understanding the knowledge states, skills, and needs of fellow group members. Metacognitively aware team members can leverage each other’s expertise, adjust their communication styles appropriately, and collaborate more efficiently. However, interaction can also have deleterious consequences, such as when one member chooses to dominate, when social conditions make group members reluctant to contribute or to evaluate others’ contributions frankly, or when the coordination among group members is sufficiently burdensome that it interferes with individual performance. Here we propose that effective group work results from harnessing the knowledge that is held in many minds by creating conditions for optimal sorting and evaluation of group suggestions through the effective exchange of metacognitive information. We examine the existing literature on group cognition across a number of fields, including psychology, cognitive science, organization, and management, and identify a number of key metacognitive strategies that exemplify this strategy and enhance group performance.