Individual, group, and organizational decision making in technological emergencies : a review of research.

Reprinted from Industrial Quarterly; 1988; Vol. 2; p. 109-138

Emergency-response systems for hazardous technological emergencies are generally comprised of a number of organizations with varying degrees of control over information and resources. The implementation of such systems and the need for coordination impose various conflicts on decision makers and response personnel. Using the example of nuclear power plant accidents, four critical categories of performance-shaping factors that can enable decision failures are identified: structural, affective, informational, and task and resource characteristics. A review of individual, group, and organizational decision-making literature suggests that many such factors may have important negative influences on performance. The role of training and exercises is discussed as a means for improving emergency-response system effectiveness and reliability