Increasing your Investment in Preparedness

A concerned police lieutenant recently asked me how far they could “push” their officers towards preparedness, with training and exercises. “I don’t want to be that officer who’s accused of constantly crying ‘wolf!’” they said.

Every public safety organization has its own culture, and this culture helps to define where the line is drawn between aggressive preparedness and “hazing”. My friend wants to move the line in their organization.

This is more of a psychological question than a preparedness question, but so much of preparedness hinges on human behavior that it behooves all of us to learn more about how people think. (Hint: they don’t think how we think they think, and we don’t, either. For more on this, I recommend “Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman.)

Many people will readily invest a small amount ($2) with an infinitesimal chance of a huge payout. They buy lottery tickets. Similarly, many people will invest a small amount of effort (for example, buckling their seat belts, or changing the batteries in their smoke detectors) which can reduce the small chance of a catastrophe. So, my friend’s question really comes down to, “How do I get my people to invest more effort into preparing for a major event that has a fairly low perceived chance of happening?” They know that pushing people beyond their individual cost:benefit assessment of training and exercising will result in the officers pulling back, or just “going through the motions.”

I suggested a two-pronged approach: first, raise their assessment of the event’s probability by bringing to their attention similar situations that are happening in other police departments. Most people’s perceptions of risk are limited to their own experiences, so if you can help to broaden their experience by telling them about incidents elsewhere, their willingness to invest will increase. Risk being nicknamed “the harbinger of doom” by bringing to your people’s attention events that could well have happened on your watch.

Second, make the training and exercises more fun. Enjoyment of an activity decreases the resistance to doing it. If they are meaningful, short, and have positive outcomes (that doesn’t mean you cover up mistakes), then people will be more likely to willingly, maybe even eagerly, participate. Law enforcement officers might ask their team, “How might we clear this wing of the building?” Fire officers might challenge their company to get water flowing even if the pump won’t engage. Think of new what-ifs that keep their minds working.

What do you do to increase the willingness of your people to prepare for low-likelihood, high-consequence events?

#preparedness #exercises #training