A study carried out by Carlos III University of Madrid (UC3M) argues that successful performance in crisis and emergency contexts depends less on strict rule-following and more on a team’s capacity to interpret rapidly changing events and adjust how they coordinate their actions. The research shows that when teams are required to apply crisis protocols rigidly, their ability to understand what is actually unfolding can be impaired. This rigidity can limit how effectively team members align their actions, ultimately reducing their capacity to adapt when situations evolve in unexpected ways.

Published in Organization Science, the study was led by Ramón Rico, Professor of Business Administration at UC3M. It examines how teams respond to highly disruptive events, such as emergencies where time pressure and uncertainty are extreme. The findings underline the importance of active sense-making during a crisis, especially the need for teams to recognise differences between what they initially expect to happen and what they observe in real time. Identifying these discrepancies allows teams to recalibrate their actions and avoid relying on assumptions that no longer match reality.

A central insight of the research is that effective adaptation depends on a dynamic balance between two forms of coordination. Implicit coordination relies on shared routines, prior experience, and mutual expectations developed through training and repeated interaction. Explicit coordination, by contrast, involves deliberate communication, clarification of roles, and conscious planning as circumstances change. The study demonstrates that teams perform best when they can move flexibly between these modes. Rigid crisis protocols, however, often push teams towards automatic responses, discouraging open discussion and limiting the ability to switch coordination strategies when conditions demand it.

Drawing on a combination of field research with real firefighting teams and controlled laboratory simulations, the study shows how enforced procedural rigidity restricts information processing. According to the authors, when teams are locked into predetermined action sequences, they are less likely to question whether those actions remain appropriate. This reduces their flexibility at precisely the moment when adaptability is most critical. The evidence suggests that strict adherence to protocol can therefore undermine, rather than enhance, team effectiveness in complex and volatile emergencies.

The research also introduces and tests a theoretical model explaining how teams adapt to disruption. This model integrates Task Mental Models, which represent the stable knowledge and expectations team members bring with them, and Team Situation Models, which capture the group’s shared understanding of what is happening in the moment. In crises, gaps frequently emerge between these two models as events diverge from expectations. Successfully addressing such gaps requires explicit coordination processes, including redefining responsibilities and sharing updated information, to safeguard lives and essential resources. When protocol enforcement suppresses these processes, adaptive recalibration becomes far more difficult.

The practical implications are substantial. Rico notes that unquestioned reliance on predefined procedures can become counterproductive if it prevents teams from incorporating new information from their environment. To counter this risk, the study points to training approaches such as perturbation training, which deliberately introduces controlled disruptions during exercises. By practising under altered conditions, teams learn to adapt roles and procedures more flexibly. This approach has already been applied in collaboration with La Paz University Hospital in Spain, where adaptive leadership training enabled teams to redistribute roles more effectively during critical operating theatre scenarios, leading to measurable improvements in clinical performance.

More information: Ramón Rico et al, Putting out the Fires: The Role of Team Knowledge, Coordination, and Procedural Rigidity in Adapting and Performing During Disruptive Events, Organization Science. DOI: 10.1287/orsc.2022.16932

Journal information: Organization Science Provided by Universidad Carlos III de Madrid