Background
WA researchers have created a new, evidence-based team reflection protocol which will enable teams to engage proactively with their experiences, through the help of the Defence Science Centre Collaborative Research Grant.
This grant provides funding of up to $150,000 to researchers looking to impact defence capability in WA.
The ‘STOP then Resource’ protocol was developed by Professor Daniel Gucciardi and his team at Curtin University, in collaboration with colleagues at Macquarie University and Defence Science and Technology Group.
The acronym outlines these steps;
- Stressors;
- Timing of stressor events;
- Overview of events;
- Perceived (or actual) impact of stressors; and
- Resources (available or required).
Team reflections – often referred to as ‘after action reviews’ – are routinely conducted across the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and are primary tools to consolidate lessons learned in both training and operational activities.
However, they are often devised and implemented based on anecdotal experience and may therefore represent a missed opportunity to maximise future resilience and human performance.
“Our protocol retains many of the strengths of these organic, anecdotal processes and integrates them with the latest scientific evidence for optimising lessons learned for future resilience readiness,” said Professor Gucciardi.
“Evidenced-based approaches to executing team reflections mean that we can maximise learning and development opportunities for teams.”
Approach
The ‘STOP then Resource’ protocol leverages recent developments in the understanding of team resilience and reflection processes to allow leaders to extract key learnings from training exercises and operational activities, including peacetime and warfare missions.
“Our initial findings supported the feasibility and acceptability of this contemporary approach to executing team reflections in a real-world military setting,” Professor Gucciardi said.
Professor Gucciardi’s Collaborative Research Grant project demonstrated the protocol as a clear and simple strategy to develop leader, soldier, and unit competency that would help teams remain calm or quickly bounce back from external or internal threats to their optimal functioning.
Outcome
“The ‘STOP then Resource’ protocol could have significant benefit for the ADF if implemented at scale across the organisation,” said Professor Gucciardi.
“These ‘scaling up’ interventions for defence and related industries requires access to evidence-based resources that facilitate implementation at scale."
Having achieved two academic publications as part of the project as well as further funding in a related area of study, Professor Gucciardi expressed his willingness to continue collaboration with the ADF to explore ways the research could inform policy through a ‘train the trainer’ model.
“A ‘train the trainer’ model is one such solution for implementing resilience-enhanced team reflections within defence and related industries and maximising sustainability for ongoing application.”
Learn more about Defence Science Centre grants programs
