Improving team effectiveness using tactical decision games

This paper addresses the development of training in team-level decision making to lead to improvements in safety and performance. A one-day Workshop was developed around tactical decision games (TDGs) for use by action teams, i.e. involving a team of multi-disciplinary experts, in the oil and gas drilling industry. Three TDGs were conducted to help team members to rehearse how they would respond to potential challenging situations, focusing in particular on team skills, such as decision making, situation awareness and communication. TDGs have previously been presented as a useful training technique to improve decision making and have been introduced in many high hazard industries [Crichton, M., Flin, R., Rattray, W.A., 2000. Training decision makers – tactical decision games. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management 8(4), 208–217]. Building on TDGs for individuals, in a team-based TDG, team members discuss the scenario and reach a team-based solution, allowing team members to recognise the potential differing perspectives brought to the solution by team members from different disciplines. Specific team skills aspects raised during the TDG scenario were then generalised to the wider project, and their impact on overall team performance, safety, and effectiveness. Members of a deepwater exploration wells team (n = 30) attended the Workshop and reported that the use of TDGs in the Workshop was valuable in defining and illustrating team skills and their influence on team performance, and helping to prepare better for their forthcoming operations.