Learning from disaster: How good job placement can keep us all safer

Located on the convergence of tectonic plates and particularly vulnerable to forest fires due to its climate, our country is no stranger to disasters.

The most recent (and probably most woeful) example of such sudden calamity is the tragic fire incident at Mati, Attica two years ago. The event highlighted the need for effective crisis response in the most dramatic way and has been subject to much controversy and analysis.

There is currently no denying that mistakes were made during the crisis. But we should not be quick to judge: Major decisions had to be made within a matter of minutes and under extreme pressure. Any minor, honest even, error in judgement could (and actually did) result in the loss of lives and property. If anything, we should learn from this experience and find ways to keep immediate response as in fact, there are some lessons to be learned from an organizational point of view.

Can we always be on top?

Response to disaster should be uncompromisingly top-notch, regardless – and this is no easy feat. To be fair, public safety workers and officials really have it rough. All things aside – that is, not taking into account the difficulties and dangers of the very nature of their jobs – they are expected to demonstrate peak performance day in, day out and in a moment’s notice. We, as a society, demand this of them – and justifiably so: one cannot afford to make human mistakes – not when they are wielding a lethal weapon, flying a Canadair, or making decisions that may impact hundreds or thousands of people.

But how can we ensure that those crucial services operate at maximum efficiency at all times? There are actually several ways, spanning from better funding to extensive training and from regular EAPs to job-demands regulations, all of which can have great impact on performance and public safety. But it is our opinion that the most crucial factor to functional optimization, the one that precedes all others and can immediately lead to significant improvement, is proper job placement.

Person-job fit is, according to most contemporary experts, the single most important factor for performance prediction. Not skill, technical knowledge, or personality traits per se, but the compatibility of all those to the specific job description and the needs of the position. This means that the person’s unique learning style, interpersonal preferences, interests, behavioral patterns, cognitive and emotional disposition (to name a few) are such that fit the demands and nature of their job.

Being the right person for the right job has been consistently found to maximize all efficiency indicators, while fostering both organizational and personal thriving and well-being. When it comes to public safety, this condition is not only desirable – it is crucial. Not just anyone can see a disaster through. It is not a matter of competence and certainly not a matter of will. It is a matter of relentless training, extensive experience and above all, of possessing those distinct characteristics and tendencies that can be helpful when faced with emergencies.

A good example

The PXT Select® assessment tool by Profiles International contains a big pool of ideal profiles for merely every industry and position therein. These profiles are based on thorough analyses of best practices and top professionals and indicate some key characteristics for the perfect candidate at each job.

Reporting on the position of Forest Fire Fighting Supervisor provides some useful insights. According to the PXT Select Inventory, the ideal leader of a firefighting team:

1. Can operate well at a brisk pace.
2. Is able to take on leadership roles and can assert his/her power when necessary.
3. Can make quick decisions
4. Is comfortable working without immediate directives but also easily takes and follows orders if necessary.
5. Is comfortable working with a team, has good social skills and cares for other people.
6. Is cautious and can work without expressing a particularly positive attitude.
7. Relies more on facts and less on intuition when making calls.
8. Is motivated by practical, hands-on aspects of a job, fast paced environments, and social service.

All of the above represent a set of traits, preferences and dispositions that have been found to promote efficiency among firefighting officials. Thus, it seems that a good candidate for such a position should be a versatile person, one that respects and can exert authority, is able to think and act fast, can work independently but also cares deeply about other people. People demonstrating different patterns at work are by no means incompetent or lacking – they are just not guaranteed to fit in well to this specific job.

Keeping it real

There is no one absolutely reliable assessment tool, psychometric or otherwise, that can be expected to consistently predict human behavior at all times. But our experience shows that comprehensive systems such as PXT Select can provide significant information on aspects of crucial work behavioral patterns that may go unnoticed at an interview, let alone a less objective placement procedure such as appointment or ordination based on seniority. So it is all but self-evident that position assignment, internal mobility and recruitment can produce optimal results when driven by a job-person fit rationale above everything else. Much more so when it comes to civil service that handles human lives and overall well-being.

There is, of course, a great deal of effort and political will required for such practices to find their way into safety corps. But is it worth the trouble? We believe it absolutely does.