One of the key factors that evaluate the level of organizational efficiency in its security operations is the ability of the organization to instill in its personnel the significance of environmental dynamics. The educational processes of personnel of how these variables impact the approach to a given scenario and how its resolution is weighted heavily upon organizational training and industry knowledge. A training concept, Situational Awareness (SA), involves being aware of what is happening around you, to understand how information, events, and your own actions will impact your goals and objective, both now and in the very near future.
Gaining in-depth insight on this process is a valuable knowledge-base of an organization’s emphasis on continual security training of heightened security discernment. Comprehending the needs of the client(s) in conjunction with the proper application of expectations versus reality renders successful goal attainment. A security professional must continuously demonstrate clarity and relevancy of the current sate in order to manage tactical situations. Moreover, it is just as vital to communicate to the client(s) what is functionally appropriate for the level of security desired.
When evaluating this method, it becomes essential that the more enlightened the security professional is to the environmental dynamics, the increased probability that sound decision making will be the end result. The consequences of failed or inadequate SA techniques can be detrimental to an individual and/or group’s ability to appropriately function within a given environment, thus its ramifications can be irreversible. To posses comprehensive, error free and the most up to date SA is critical when engaging technological and situational perplexities and decision making becomes the focal point.
When new information or situations arise, professionals must be able to be flexible in delivering solutions and understand consequences of decisions in order to take appropriate action in critical situations. For the security professional the application of SA can be a difference maker and a developer of loyal consumers for quality service.
References:
Dostal, B. C. (2007). Enhancing situational understanding through the employment of unmanned aerial vehicles. Army Transformation Taking Shape ...Interim Brigade
Combat Team Newsletter, No. 01-18. Retrieved November 7, 2007, from http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/call/call_01-18_ch6.htm
Fracker, M. L. (1991b). Measures of situation awareness: Review and future directions (Report No. AL-TR-1991-0128). Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH: Armstrong Laboratories.
Moray, N. (2004). Ou sont les neiges d'antan? ("Where are the snows of yesteryear?"). In D. A. Vincenzi, M. Mouloua & P. A. Hancock (Eds), Human performance, situation awareness and automation: Current research and trends (pp. 1–31). Mahwah: LEA.
