Inaction in action: how task and team uncertainty "derail" strategic decision making and produce implementation failures in critical and major incident management

Van den Heuvel, Claudia Inaction in action: how task and team uncertainty "derail" strategic decision making and produce implementation failures in critical and major incident management. Doctor of Philosophy thesis, University of Liverpool.

PDF (Thesis on Uncertainty in Critical Incident Decision Making) vandenHeuvelClaudia_Nov2011_4393.pdf - Author Accepted Manuscript Access to this file is embargoed until Unspecified. Available under License Creative Commons Attribution No Derivatives. Download (3MB)

Abstract

This thesis adopts the use of various simulation-based training exercises as research platforms for assessing the role of environmental, task, and team uncertainty on critical and major incident decision making. It illustrates that experienced uncertainty in these incidents has a significant detrimental “derailing” effect on strategic decision making. Task uncertainty occurs within critical incidents when decision makers face forced choice binary decisions with equally unattractive outcomes. Team uncertainty occurs due to the large, heterogeneous nature of any emergency response organization, often involving individuals from an array of agencies. The studies showed that these types of uncertainty induced derailments from preferred strategies or courses of action. These derailments were manifest as a variety of implementation failures, including omissions or temporary deferral of crucial actions, a failure to share crucial information with other emergency responders, and failing to coordinate or synchronize actions with those others involved in incident management. These findings are in accordance with the widely adopted definition of uncertainty in naturalistic decision making as “a sense of doubt that blocks or delays action” (Lipshitz & Strauss, 1997, p. 150). Moreover, they contribute to the existing literature by illustrating that errors omission, as opposed to actively committed mistakes, are a prevalent occurrence that may impede “optimal” incident management strategies in various types of high risk, uncertain critical incidents.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctor of Philosophy)
Additional Information:	Date: 2011-11 (completed)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	uncertainty, naturalistic decision making, critical and major incidents, simulation-based training
Subjects:	?? BF ??
Divisions:	Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Population Health
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	14 Aug 2012 09:27
Last Modified:	16 Dec 2022 04:36
DOI:	10.17638/00004393
Supervisors:	Alison, Laurence Cole, Jonathan
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/4393