Associate Prof Chris Bearman

A/Prof Chris Bearman

Researcher
decision making, emergency management, resilience
About
A/Prof Chris Bearman

Chris Bearman's research involves conducting industry-focused studies in laboratory and field settings with the aim of creating results that have both a strong theoretical underpinning and a robust application to industry. This involves working closely with industry partners and government organizations around the world. Chris also supervises a number of PhD, Masters & Honours students in the Safety Science and Human Factors areas.

Project leadership

Improving decision-making in complex multi-team environments
Emergencies are increasing in complexity, duration, and the number of agencies involved. This is likely to lead to an increasing number of errors being made, breakdowns in teams and degraded operational situations. These problems will play out within the context of a decreasing tolerance in the community and their political representatives. Rather than distributing the blame to individuals we need to acknowledge that errors and breakdowns in emergency management teams will occur, and that it is important to seek and manage them in a mature and systematic way. The current project has three main research streams that are examining team monitoring, decision making and organisational learning.
Research team:
bbrooks, cowen, scurnin
QFES Strategy 2030
This project was commissioned and funded entirely by Queensland Fire and Emergency Services..

Supervisory roles

Project Student
Developing decision support tools for better managing complexity in emergency management

Research team

Type Project Research team
Commissioned Research 2014 South Australia post-incident task force jtrigg, srainbird, cbearman, Lyndsey Wright, jmclennan
Commissioned Research 2015 Sampson Flat SA post-incident task force cbearman, areynolds, lclarkson, rmatthews, lhaigh, ddawson
Tasmanian Fire Service State Control Centre. Photo: Chris Bearman.
10/2018
Report
Decision making, team monitoring and organisational learning in emerge...
Bearman,C.,Brooks,B.,Owen,C.,Curnin,S.,Bancroft,H.
10/2017
Journal Article
From research outcome to agency change: mapping a learning trajectory...
Owen,C.,Krusel,N.,Bearman,C.,Brooks,B.
09/2017
Conference Paper
Identifying lessons from exercising and training for emergency managem...
Brooks,B.,Curnin,S.,Bearman,C.,Owen,C.
2017
Journal Article
Tools for monitoring teams in emergency management: EMBAM and TBM
Bearman,C.,Grunwald,J.,Brooks,B.,Owen,C.
09/2017
Report
Decision making, team monitoring and organisational learning in emerge...
Bearman,C.,Brooks,B.,Owen,C.,Curnin,S.,Rainbird,S.,Stuart,H.
2017
Journal Article
Identifying and resolving coordinated decision making breakdowns in em...
Grunwald,J.,Bearman,C.
09/2017
Conference Paper
Enhancing team performance
Bearman,C.,Rainbird,S.,Owen,C.,Brooks,B.,Curnin,S.
03/2017
Journal Article
On the concept of denial of natural hazard risk and its use in relatio...
McLennan,J.,Every,D.,Bearman,C.,Wright,L.
10/2016
Journal Article
Contacts versus connectors: The role of Community Fire Safe Group coor...
Every,D.,Bearman,C.,Matthews,R.,Reynolds,A.,O'Donohue,P.,Clarkson,L.
01/2016
Report
Capturing community experiences in the 2015 Sampson Flat fire
Every,D.,Reynolds,A.,Clarkson,L.,Bearman,C.,Matthews,R.,Haigh,L.,Dawson,D.
09/2016
Journal Article
Don't just do something, stand there! Mitigating goal seduction i...
Bearman,C.,Bremner,P.A.
09/2016
Report
Decision making, team monitoring and organisational learning in emerge...
Bearman,C.,Brooks,B.,Owen,C.,Curnin,S.,Rainbird,S.,Matthews,S.
09/2016
Journal Article
Values and complexities in assessing strategic-level emergency managem...
Owen,C.,Brooks,B.,Bearman,C.,Curnin,S.
03/2016
Report
Proposed tools for monitoring teams in emergency management
Bearman,C.,Rainbird,S.,Brooks,B.,Owen,C.
08/2015
Report
Decision making, team monitoring and organisational performance: Part...
Bearman,C.
02/2015
Conference Paper
Challenges of Measuring Emergency Management Performance Under Adversi...
Owen,C.,Brooks,B.,Bearman,C.
10/2015
Report
Practical decision tools for improved decision-making in complex, time...
Bearman,C.,Brooks,B.,Owen,C.,Curnin,S.,Fitzgerald,K.,Grunwald,J.,Rainbird,S.
08/2015
Report
Decision making, team monitoring and organisational performance: Part...
Bearman,C.,Brooks,B.,Owen,C.,Curnin,S.,Fitzgerald,K.,Grunwald,J.,Rainbird,S.
Report
Practical Decision Tools for Improved Decision-Making in Complex Situa...
Bearman,C.,Brooks,B.,Owen,C.
03/2015
Journal Article
Breakdowns in coordinated decision making at and above the incident ma...
Bearman,C.,Grunwald,J.,Brooks,B.,Owen,C.
03/2015
Report
Capturing community experiences: South Australian bushfires January 20...
Trigg,J.,Rainbird,S.,Thompson,K.,Bearman,C.,Wright,L.,McLennan,J.
Conference Proceedings
The Problems of Maintaining Effective Teamwork During Out-of-Scale Eve...
Bearman,C.,Owen,C.,Brooks,B.,Grunwald,J.
5/2013
Journal Article
A day in the life of a volunteer incident commander: Errors, pressures...
Bearman,C.,Bremner,P.A.
Conference Proceedings
Politics, Policies and Paradigms: Challenges of Change in Future Emerg...
Owen,C.,Bosomworth,K.,Bearman,C.,Brooks,B.,Fogarty,L.,Conway,G.
Report
Strategic emergency management in Australia and New Zealand - discussi...
Owen,C.,Bosomworth,K.,Bearman,C.,Brooks,B.
Decision Making, Team Monitoring & Organizational Learning: 2018 Update
18 Sep 2018
Decision Making, Team Monitoring & Organizational Learning: 2018 Update
decision making, emergency management
The project is providing practical techniques and strategies to help people function in more...
Decision making, team monitoring & organisational learning: 2017 update
30 Jun 2017
Decision making, team monitoring & organisational learning: 2017 update
decision making, emergency management
This project has three main research streams that are:Providing enhanced methods of making...
Chris Bearman Conference Poster 2016
12 Aug 2016
Decision making, team monitoring and organisational learning
infrastructure, resilience
This project has three main research streams that are:•Providing enhanced methods of making...
A Twelve Step Program Towards Safety Redemption in Emergency Management
18 Aug 2015
A Twelve Step Program Towards Safety Redemption in Emergency Management
emergency management, policy
The journey towards a mature system for managing safety has previously been imagined as a 'ladder'...
Decision Making, Team Monitoring and Organisational Learning
18 Aug 2015
Decision Making, Team Monitoring and Organisational Learning
decision making
This Project aims to provide enhanced ways of:Making decisions in complex situationsMonitoring...
Practical decision tools for improved decision-making in complex situations
25 Aug 2014
Practical decision tools for improved decision-making in complex situations
There is increasing pressure on agencies from larger-scale natural hazards, financial constraints...
What can derail decision making? A phase model perspective
25 Aug 2014
What can derail decision making? A phase model perspective
Phase models are a common way to frame decision making in emergency management. 

Resources credited

Type Released Title Download Key Topics
Guide-Fact Sheet 16 May 2018 Emergency Management Breakdown Aide Memoire PDF icon Save (94.2 KB) communication, decision making, emergency management
Guide-Fact Sheet 16 May 2018 Team Process Checklist PDF icon Save (105.77 KB) communication, decision making, emergency management
Presentation-Slideshow 16 Apr 2018 Team monitoring, decision making & organisational learning PDF icon Save (1.41 MB) decision making, emergency management
Presentation-Slideshow 07 Sep 2017 Enhancing teamwork PDF icon Save (349.78 KB) capability, decision making, emergency management
Presentation-Slideshow 07 Jul 2017 Enhancing capability in emergency management PDF icon Save (1.15 MB) capability, decision making, emergency management
HazardNoteEdition 28 Jun 2017 Helping agencies learn from experience PDF icon Save (656.75 KB) decision making, education, risk management
HazardNoteEdition 23 Jun 2017 Tools to enhance emergency management team performance PDF icon Save (568.01 KB) decision making, emergency management, multi-hazard
Presentation-Slideshow 18 Apr 2017 Team monitoring, decision making & organisational learning PDF icon Save (1.33 MB) decision making, emergency management
Presentation-Audio-Video 27 Oct 2016 Practical decision tools for improved decision-making - project overview File Save (0 bytes) decision making, emergency management, multi-hazard
Presentation-Slideshow 30 Aug 2016 "I’m going to be frightened out of my wits": Insights on psychological preparedness from the Sampson Flat fire - Danielle Every PDF icon Save (970.63 KB) communication, communities, fire
Presentation-Slideshow 30 Aug 2016 Team monitoring tools - Chris Bearman PDF icon Save (674.21 KB) capability, decision making, emergency management
Presentation-Slideshow 17 May 2016 Decision making, team monitoring and organisational learning PDF icon Save (1.79 MB) communication, decision making, multi-hazard
HazardNoteEdition 06 Apr 2016 Sampson Flat community bushfire experiences PDF icon Save (519.63 KB) communities, fire, warnings
Presentation-Slideshow 10 Apr 2015 Decision Making 2015 NSW RAF Presentation PDF icon Save (1.98 MB) decision making, education
HazardNoteEdition 19 Mar 2015 How three South Australian communities responded to the 2014 bushfires PDF icon Save (130.53 KB) communication, communities, warnings
Presentation-Audio-Video 20 Oct 2014 Measuring EM performance under adversity: The good, the bad, the ugly capability, emergency management
Presentation-Slideshow 08 Sep 2014 Challenges of measuring emergency management performance under adversity PDF icon Save (1.69 MB) decision making

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