The Great British (GB) railway industry has faced persistent challenges in decision-making processes, leading to the creation of RSSB’s Operational Decision Making using the G-FORCE Model training course.
The training course aims to empower railway staff to make rational decisions under pressure, fostering a culture of confidence and accountability. Situations where G-FORCE may be useful include when:
- There isn’t a rule to cover the situation you are in
- You are supposed to contact somebody for permission to act, but cannot get hold of them (remembering that delaying the decision will usually make the situation worse)
- More than one rule could be applied, but these conflict with each other; and
- There is a rule telling you what to do, but something unusual about the situation means that you cannot apply it, or if you did would lead to a bad outcome.
Why Was the G-FORCE Training Course Created?
The G-FORCE training course was developed in response to several critical issues within the GB railway industry:
- Need for Improved Decision-Making: There was a recognised need for the industry to enhance its decision-making capabilities.
The G-FORCE Model and other resources were developed through the research project T1135.
- Professional Judgement: Staff often felt unable to exercise their professional judgement effectively.
- Judgement Based on Outcome: Decisions were frequently judged retrospectively based on their outcomes rather than the processes and information available at the time of decision-making.
- Impact on Decision-Making Confidence: When decisions are judged on outcomes, staff are less likely to make decisions, impacting overall operational efficiency. Management actions significantly influence how confident staff feel about making decisions.
Objectives for Delegates
The primary objective of the training course is to support railway personnel in making rational decisions, particularly under pressure or in unfamiliar situations. The course provides a rational decision-making framework, helping users reach logical conclusions. It is beneficial for anyone involved in decision-making or evaluating others’ decisions, including:
- Control and On-Call staff
- Driver Managers
- Signallers and Signalling Managers
- Other frontline and management roles involved in incident management
The course aims to provide valuable tools for everyday decision-making, contributing to improved operational efficiency and safety in the railway industry. Through interactive and practical training, it empowers railway staff to make confident, rational decisions, ultimately enhancing overall operational effectiveness and safety.
Maximising Benefit for Delegates
The course includes interactive discussions, exercises, videos, and case studies, conducted individually, in pairs, and in groups. This allows delegates to gain the most benefit through a combination of open discussions and collaborative problem-solving sessions. Key elements include:
- the course encourages delegates to share personal experiences and discuss barriers to decision-making within their teams or organisations.
- delegates freely take part in discussions on fair culture and the difficulties of making decisions when concerned about being judged on outcomes.
- the afternoon session involves group activities to solve operational scenarios using the G-FORCE model.
Implementation of G-FORCE
As of December 2023, the Operational Decision-Making using the G-FORCE Model training course has been integrated into Network Rail’s National Operating Procedure 3.06 on Operational Decision Making. This adoption signifies that G-FORCE is the supported method for decision-making, making it essential training for all Network Rail operational staff.
The Operational Decision-Making using the G-FORCE Model training course addresses critical challenges in the GB railway industry by providing a structured approach to decision-making. RSSB is seeing significant interest from various rail organisations to roll out the Operational Decision-Making using the G-FORCE Model training for their staff.
Bespoke courses
We work directly with organisations to develop and deliver this training as a bespoke course. The course will be tailored to the delegate group and business requirements, incorporating relevant case studies and scenarios.
If you would like RSSB to deliver this as a bespoke training course, remotely or at a location of your choice, please email: training@rssb.co.uk, and we will contact you to discuss your exact requirements and how we could tailor the course to your target audience.
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