“It seems to be some kind of an accident”: Perception and team decision-making in time critical situations

Abstract

This study examines the decision-making processes of military observer trainee teams as they encounter a simulated, ‘life-threatening’ incident during a car-patrolling exercise. The study takes place in the context of a course which trains military officers to serve in UN peacekeeping operations as unarmed military observers. The data consist of audio-video recordings of eight trainee teams inside and around their patrol cars during a patrolling exercise, as well as of ethnographic field notes and observations. We use conversation analysis to examine what happens between the first noticing of the incident and the decision regarding the next action, and how the trainees work together to form a diagnosis of the situation and choose the appropriate action. The results show how the trainees make a first general interpretation on the situation immediately after its initial noticing and make visible their assessment of the incident site as either safe or unsafe to approach. These interpretations are crucial, as an incorrect interpretation often leads to action that puts the team in danger. The results also show how earlier shared events can affect the decision-making process, as they are indicated as points of comparison on which a team may base their interpretation of the current situation.