Lean Thinking Approach in Crisis Scenarios: Managing a CBRNe Emergency in a Law Enforcement Department by Means of Managerial Decision-Making Tools

Abstract

Ongoing developments in threats to security and public order demand a thorough analysis of the approaches currently used to avoid and resolve crisis situations, in particular when they relate to non-conventional CBRNe incidents. The ability to respond rapidly and efficiently to an unexpected situation requires an extensive knowledge of the CBRNe threats and the display of management resources to overcome the emergency phases. A CBRN advisor must have the ability to determine the consequences of a CBRN situation in any given context, in order to suggest the most favorable paths to emerge from the crisis to the decisional leader/manager. In this report we thoroughly explored, from the CBRN awareness point of view, a successful response to the emergency management of the Regional Forensic Police Centre of Firenze, using a range of instruments often related solely to the private business dimension, such as "Lean thinking approach" or the SWOT analysis, in order to exit the crisis phase mitigating the expected damages. Whit this research the two authors confirmed that correct management of a CBRN emergency cannot be entrusted to good will alone, but requires careful planning, in-depth knowledge of the crisis and managerial organization of events and resources.