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A relationship between personality and incident/emergency command ability is often assumed to exist, yet little research has explicitly examined such a relationship. Good leaders in emergencies are expected to be calm, decisive under pressure and confident in action. Such qualities, by their very nature, are difficult to gauge in standard selection procedures. This presents organizations with the problem of how to determine whether someone possesses the right personal qualities and skills for a command position. Investigates the potential contribution of a personality questionnaire to the prediction of command and crisis management ability of offshore installation managers (OIM). In an emergency, they are expected to take command and ensure the safety of offshore personnel, which may include their safe evacuation. A total of 154 OIMs completed the Occupational Personality Questionnaire Concept 5.2, of whom 93 were rated by trainers on their ability to deal with a simulated offshore emergency. Discusses correlations of their personality scores with performance ratings and revealed few significant results and the difficulties of finding a test of emergency command ability.

Evaluates a two day professional time management course, and examines the possible influence of personal and work factors on training outcomes. A multiple measures pre‐and post‐course design was used to monitor 32 delegates attending two courses presented by the same trainer. (Delegates also completed motivation and commitment questionnaires.) Course outcome measures included diary logs, time management skills, the number of changes made to working practices, and use of a time management aid. Post‐course interviews and diary logs provided information on delegates′ self‐reported success in implementing changes, supplemented by their perceptions of the work environment. Results indicated improvements in self‐perceptions of time‐use, but this was not reflected in delegates′ diary log measures. Contrary to expectations, commitment scores were not related to training outcomes. As expected a number of work related factors were found to influence training outcomes.

Examines the applicability of national standards of managerial competence developed by an international oil and gas company. Presents the competence criteria for staff in safety critical posts within the context of the legislative and industry pressures operating within the UK oil and gas industry. The case study company conclude that the MCI standards do not appear to address their needs fully.

Following civilian disasters such as Piper Alpha, Hillsborough and King′s Cross, personnel professionals are rethinking the types of individuals needed to fill senior posts, considering the demands of responding to a serious emergency. Presents the results from a project designed to examine the current selection, training and assessment procedures for managers of offshore oil and gas installations in the North Sea, with particular emphasis on their ability to take command in the event of a serious offshore incident. Personnel and operations managers in 38 oil and gas exploration and production companies in the UK were interviewed. Characteristics sought in an offshore installation manager were leadership and command ability, communication skills, sound judgement, decisiveness and a stable disposition. Selection decisions were based predominantly on the candidate′s previous performance, appraisal reports and managerial recommendations rather than more formal methods such as interview panels, assessment centres or psychometric tests. An industry‐wide concern regarding managerial competence has led to increased use of emergency management simulations for training and assessment. The lack of formal assessments during the selection procedure is surprising, but the recent introduction of high fidelity, emergency management simulations present an additional source of valuable information on future candidates if assessment data are collected rigorously.

Following civilian disasters such as Piper Alpha, Hillsborough and King’s Cross, personnel professionals are rethinking the types of individuals needed to fill senior posts, considering the demands of responding to a serious emergency. Presents the results from a project designed to examine the current selection, training and assessment procedures for managers of offshore oil and gas installations in the North Sea, with particular emphasis on their ability to take command in the event of a serious offshore incident. Personnel and operations managers in 38 oil and gas exploration and production companies in the UK were interviewed. Characteristics sought in an offshore installation manager were leadership and command ability, communication skills, sound judgement, decisiveness and a stable disposition. Selection decisions were based predominantly on the candidate’s previous performance, appraisal reports and managerial recommendations rather than more formal methods such as interview panels, assessment centres or psychometric tests. An industry‐wide concern regarding managerial competence has led to increased use of emergency management simulations for training and assessment. The lack of formal assessments during the selection procedure is surprising, but the recent introduction of high fidelity, emergency management simulations present an additional source of valuable information on future candidates if assessment data are collected rigorously.