SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) officers broke down a door in a suspected drug house. They were expecting a hallway, but faced a wall instead. On a film set, a hot tub overflowed. Water went through the floorboard and the chandelier beneath. The lights in the entire building shorted.

SWAT teams and film crews deal with the unexpected all the time. Dr Beth Bechky and Dr Gerardo Okhuysen (2011), from University of California and University of Utah, respectively, explored how these unconventional teams overcame time pressures and finite resources in response to unexpected events, and carried on to deliver on their work goals.

During their research, they discovered three solutions:  

1. Find a double

Unexpected events can sometimes leave critical roles unfilled. When this happens, other team members must take on additional roles. During a shoot, an aerial camera specialist did not arrive for work. The executive producer and camera crew discussed their next plan of action and the options that were available to them.

Eventually, one of the crewmember’s filled in the role as he knew how to operate the aerial camera, and another crewmember covered his role.

In the instance of the SWAT team, while breaking into a location, they found more suspects than expected. In quick response, the lead officers changed their primary role from trying to reach the furthest corner of the location to covering suspects as they advanced. Officers’ further back then took the lead in covering every part of the location.  

2. Switch to Plan B

When surprises disrupt the original flow of work, teams can default to a known back-up plan to achieve the goal. For instance, when creaking floorboards alerted the suspects to the presence of the SWAT team, the officers swiftly forgo their original plan of a ‘stealth entry’, and switched to a second learned routine – the ‘dynamic entry’, to apprehend the suspects.  

3. Create a brave new way

Sometimes, it may not be possible to bounce back with a rehearsed Plan B. In the case of film production teams, when they are caught by surprise, they typically rely on existing knowledge and available resources.

For instance during the shooting of the hot tub scene mentioned above, shorting out all lights was a highly unexpected event and there was no Plan B sitting in the wings. Instead, the team had to problem-solve on the spot. In the end, all the scenes set to be filmed with the hot tub that evening were rescheduled. The electricians shifted the power to the generators and the production crew shot a different scene in the dry living room.

Drawing from the experiences of the SWAT team and film crew, more conventional work teams can also apply the same principles. For instance, they should build in a certain level of replication skills across their teams instead of overemphasising specialisation. It also helps to have clear, well-drilled contingencies in place, as well as talent who can troubleshoot there and then.  

What works for one team may not work for another

However, it must be emphasised that different responses work for different teams. Even between the SWAT team and the film crew, the former leans towards switching to a known Plan B, while the latter prefers problem solving on the spot. This depends on the team and work context.

For instance, membership of the SWAT team tends to be stable. Officers usually have trained together for years and enjoy strong camaraderie with one another. It is thus possible to put together contingency plans, and prepare for a flawless execution in advance.

The assignments of the SWAT teams also tend to be highly tense with few opportunities to pause in action. Missions almost have to be executed with great precision, and given the possibility of fatalities, generally all scenarios are planned and rehearsed. Hence, it fits the context for the SWAT team to switch to and execute the next plan of action.

Conversely, an unexpected scenario on film sets can include unpredictable behaviour of animals and babies casted – it will certainly be difficult to have a back up strategy that covers all contingencies. Yet, when a situation does arise, it is usually not life threatening.

Team dynamics is another factor. The crew usually consists of a mix of individuals that work together on a temporary assignment that lasts several weeks or months. As such, members do not have the time to plan and play out scenarios. Instead, it makes more sense to improvise during the breaks between scenes. Creating new solutions on the go, in response to unpredictable events, works well for teams like the film crew.

Hence, before any team applies the above responses in dealing with surprises, it is critical that they first understand its dynamics, the nature of work engaged in and the criticality of the risks.  

One thing that all teams can do

Whether for the SWAT officers or crew members, in the various scenarios it helped that they could double up and play another teammate’s role when crisis arose. To have reached this stage, there must be common knowledge and expectations of tasks and processes. One practical way of doing this is to do what the SWAT teams does: cross-train its team members.

In companies, this can take the form of a cross-functional role or an assignment that involves employees taking on more general responsibilities than is required in their specific functions.

An example would be a HR employee with a financial background aiding the finance team in some of their tasks. Should the finance team experience high attrition the firm’s director will know whom to call to fill in the gap.

Likewise, the film crew may not intentionally set out to cross-train, but their shared knowledge and expectations by giving public feedback so that everyone within earshot can learn. With your team, feedback need not be public, especially if they touch on individual sensitivities. However, the feedback can still be kept direct and honest. Where possible, group learning should also be leveraged.  

Prepare – then deal

Your team may not be naturally attuned to dealing with the unexpected. It may still have a lot to learn from the SWAT team and the film crew, and even so, may have to choose and tailor the type of responses to its own context. However, like all other teams, it can be helpful to share task expectations and knowledge among members. Remember: the next time you face an unexpected challenge at your office, remind yourself that others have it worse. SWAT officers who put their life on the lines, and film crews who have to deal with animals, children and worst of all, the fragile temperaments of Hollywood actors.  

Research Method

Data about SWAT teams was drawn from a police department in the south of the USA. All 18 officers participated in semi-structured interviews that explored their tasks and roles, and team structure. In addition, the researchers attended training sessions to observe the activities the individuals were engaged in. Lastly, archival information like documentaries on SWAT teams was gathered and studied. For the film crews, a field study was performed on four different film locations where the researchers observed the interactions between individuals. Informal, unstructured interviews with crew members were also done multiple times during the production. Lastly, the researchers examined archival material such as daily production schedules and film scripts. The collected data pertaining to the SWAT teams and film crews were then analysed for specific incidents of surprise, and the responses and solutions taken. The analysis of each group were then contrasted against each other and categorised to arrive at the researchers’ conclusions.

Reference

Beth A. Bechky & Gerardo A. Okhuysen (2011). Expecting the unexpected?: How SWAT officers and film crews handle surprises. The Academy of Management Journal. , 239-261.   

This article was first published in HQ Asia (Print) Issue 05 (2013)