Old dogs, new tricks? A Norwegian study on whether previous collaboration exercise experience impacted participant’s perceived exercise effect

• Published in: International Journal of Emergency Services
• Main Authors: Sorensen, Jarle Lowe, Carlström, Eric D., Magnussen, Leif Inge, Kim, Tae-eun, Christiansen, Atle Martin, Torgersen, Glenn-Egil
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Emerald 2019
• Subjects: Norway; Iceland
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijes-04-2018-0025; https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/full-xml/10.1108/IJES-04-2018-0025; https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/full/10.1108/IJES-04-2018-0025

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the perceived effects of a maritime cross-sector collaboration exercise. More specifically, this study aims to examine whether past exercise experience had an impact on the operative exercise participant’s perceived levels of collaboration, learning and usefulness. Design/methodology/approach This was a non-experimental quantitative survey-based study. A quantitative methodology was chosen over qualitative or mixed-methods methodologies as it was considered more suitable for data extraction from larger population groups, and allowed for the measurement and testing of variables using statistical methods and procedures (McCusker and Gunaydin, 2015). Data were collected from a two-day 2017 Norwegian full-scale maritime chemical oil-spill pollution exercise with partners from Norway, Germany, Iceland, Denmark and Sweden. The exercise included international public emergency response organizations and Norwegian non-governmental organizations. The study was approved by the Norwegian Centre for Research Data (ref. 44815) and the exercise planning organization. Data were collected using the collaboration, learning and utility (CLU) scale, which is a validated instrument designed to measure exercise participant’s perceived levels of collaboration, learning and usefulness (Berlin and Carlström, 2015). Findings The perceived focus on collaboration, learning and usefulness changed with the number of previous exercises attended. All CLU dimensions experienced decreases and increases, but while perceived levels of collaboration and utility reached their somewhat modest peaks among those with the most exercise experience, perceived learning was at its highest among those with none or little exercise experience, and at its lowest among those with most. These findings indicated that collaboration exercises in their current form have too little focus on collaborative learning. Research limitations/implications Several limitations of the current study deserve to be mentioned. ...