Behavioural markers for the assessment of competence in crisis management

• Main Author: Gatfield, David
• Published: Southampton Solent University 2008
• Subjects: 158.7; Business and Management
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.505363

A lack of competence in crisis management has been shown to be a causal factor in a number of recent maritime accidents. In safety critical industries other than commercial shipping, such as civil aviation, nuclear and petrochemical, research is being undertaken to identify behavioural markers that can be used to assess competence in crisis management. Although there is now a general acceptance of the core concepts for the non-technical or resource management skills required for competence in crisis management, there is also an acceptance that the behaviours associated with these skills are context specific. This research programme improves the understanding of how a behavioural marker system can be used to assess the competence in crisis management of merchant marine engineering officers within the context of a merchant vessel engine control room. This research reviews the current practice in using behavioural markers for the assessment of competence in crisis management within safety critical industries and the military. The differences between the assessment frameworks and environments in which behavioural markers are currently being used for this assessment of competence are discussed. The influences of these differences on the use of behavioural markers for the assessment of competence in crisis management within the context of a merchant vessel engine room control room are investigated. Through the use of ethnographic study, the research presents a set of behavioural markers that can be used to assess competence in crisis management within the context of a simulated merchant vessel's engine room control room. The research concludes that these behavioural markers can be used as a valid objective assessment framework for the assessment of ocompetence in crisis management of merchant navy engineering officers.