Effects of Role Differentiation, Interaction, and Lapse of the Time on Shared Mental Models in e-Learning Contents Development Teams in Korea

The purpose of this study was to investigate the cognitive mechanism of e-Learning contents development projects on the basis of the Shared Mental Model theory perspective. To pursue the purpose, a theoretical model and several hypotheses were developed based on relevant literature. Thirty five (35) e-Learning contents development teams composed of 202 instructional designers from for-profit professional e-Learning companies in Korea were participated in this study. For the analyses of the fit of the Model and parameter estimations, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) method was employed. As hypothesized, e-Learning contents development team members' interaction leads to higher SMMs which in turn facilitate member satisfaction within the team. Meanwhile, the frequency of interaction among team members decreases as projects progress.