Are you in alignment?
Taking our Quantitative Training efforts and placing them formally or informally into an action oriented environment produces outcomes. It is the actual and perceived quality of the outcome(s) produced I define as Qualitative Performance. This concept of measurement or evaluation of performance based on the quality of outcomes is key to an individual, company, agency or industry’s credibility, value and culture.
To fully capture both credibility and value from our efforts we need to enhance our awareness or understanding of the relationship between Quantitative Training and Qualitative Performance. These two terms are symbiotic, working together they become a key component to the sustainability and evolution of our personnel, companies, agencies, and industry. They touch everyone at every level of an organization from elected officials to an agencies newest members. With a broader perspective it can be inferred they also touch the majority of the communities we serve.
Measuring both Quantitative Training and Qualitative Performance are key elements to help bench mark an individual, organization, or industry. To illustrate how they work synergistically together on a routine bases let’s look at a driver’s training program and potential performance produced in relationship to driving during an emergency response. All the training an organization requires prior to driving and ongoing training can be measured as quantitative driver’s training. This includes EVIP, coaching, locations and other agency specific requirements. Now take all that knowledge and apply it during an emergency response. The quality of outcome produced is your qualitative performance. Do they align? Does the quantitative training produce the desired qualitative performance? In this case how well did the driver project confidence to the crew of his abilities to get them there in a calm, safe and efficient manner?
Did the driver know where he was responding to? Was the response smooth (turning, braking, and accelerating)? Did they assure intersections were secure before entering? When navigating heavy traffic did they maintain a calmness about them? These are all elements of emergency response that play into qualitative performance but are derived from quantitative training.
Why is understanding the relationship so important? Looking at the emergency response scenario lets walk through the potential benefits of a high performing driver and negative impacts of a low performing driver. Most of us have experienced individuals that are defined by their ability to drive. A good driver can help bring calm to the emergency response, make a crew feel safe, provide an environment in which crews can focus on their individual duties and responsibilities prior to arrival, assure resources arrive ready to perform. The good driver builds credibility with his crew and other department members, he gains confidence in his ability and the department builds equity in their ability to perform. By measuring the quality of the drivers behavior reinforces your quantitative driver training program is producing the desired qualitative performance.
On the negative side of things if a driver gets in the apparatus, asks where are we going, talks a lot during response, demonstrates lights and sirens give him all yielding power by blasting through intersections, accelerating and braking hard is concerning. My favorite is the driver that gets in heavy traffic and escalates his audible distraction by yelling at other drivers as if they can hear him. This behavior from a driver builds a negative reputation for the driver and his officer. Distracts the attention of the officer and crew enroute to emergency, puts the crew and public at risk. If an organization has this type of behavior from their personnel they may need to look at their drivers program and potentially enhance their quantitative training to achieve the desired qualitative performance (alignment).
In today’s fire service environment where calls for service continue to climb, additional regulatory scrutiny continues to evolve, acceleration of the rate of change and demand for resources begin to look like Stretch Armstrong being pulled from both sides we sometime forget to look at our qualitative performance. This is true at an individual, crew, agency or industry level. We may only focus on checking off a box in our monthly training so we are in compliance and discount the benefit of measuring qualitative performance do to time or other constraints. If this is becoming your culture then opportunities are being missed.
But on the other hand if you’re developing a culture of routinely measuring both Quantitative Training and Qualitative Performance for alignment you will potentially create desired opportunities. They include enhanced performance, building credibility, expanded importance of situational awareness, and greater demonstrated impact to your customers.
In this article, I only scratched the surface of the relationship and importance of assuring alignment and measuring for both Quantitative Training and Qualitative Performance. We as individuals, leaders, agencies, or industry need to continue to monitor both concepts on a continual bases. The Fire Service is judged at all levels on our overall qualitative performance. Judges come in all forms! They can be public, political, regulatory, external agencies, internal groups, media, and legal. By consistently validating our Quantitative Training efforts through Qualitative Performance we will maintain a productive, sustainable and evolving environment.
Are you in alignment?
James Hempstead, Battalion Chief
Richland Fire and Emergency Services Department