About Bearing
Judgement is not fixed. It can be built.
Our view is that to keep people safer, we all need to make better decisions and this is a lifelong piece of learning.
Bearing starts from recognising that the ability to make good decisions under pressure is not fixed. It can be learned, developed and measured. Our approach draws on research and practice across events, safety, security, higher education and organisational development.
Most organisations in high-consequence environments plan well. They have risk registers, contingency plans and clear command structures but what they often lack is a shared language for the decisions made in real time, when the plan meets reality and something has to shift.
We do not replace professional judgement. We cultivate it, giving individuals and teams a structure and approach that enables them to navigate changing situations, that supports better decisions under pressure, makes roles and authority clear, and sets the conditions for a team to do its best work.
We work with others to constantly grow and develop. We work across the industry to bring you best practice and consistency with our partners at Halo Solutions, Pink Bows Foundation, MUTI Live, Centre for Events and Festivals and the UK Crowd Management Association.
What we mean by situational judgement
As evidence-based practitioners, we do like a definition so in the interests of clarity, let’s define what we mean by situational judgement:
Definition
Reading a live situation accurately, understanding what it may become, and choosing a course of action that solves the issue when implemented, works within the context and stands up to scrutiny.
We don’t magically learn this. It takes time and practice and making mistakes. Now we have the modelling of the decision process from Claire’s research, we can cultivate this ability to read the room, anticipate the issues, evaluate the options and make effective decisions through training, simulation, team sessions and e-learning. Our programme enables you to develop situational judgement without the risks of making mistakes in the live environment.
Our courses are based on two key frameworks:
Proprietary framework
MBED: Making Better Event Decisions ©
MBED gives event teams a common structure for making, explaining and improving on-event decisions. It is Bearing’s own framework, developed from doctoral research and taught at scale in live operational settings.
Who it is for
On-event operational teams, duty managers and event control staff.
Where it appears
Decision-Making Under Pressure · MBED e-learning · Show-Safe · the 3-Day Intensive.
Proprietary framework
LSJF: Live Situational Judgement Framework ©
LSJF is Bearing’s own framework for situational judgement in live operations. It breaks a live decision into five stages, known as PULSE: Perceive, Understand, Locate, Synchronise, Enact. It is how we teach people to read a developing situation before it becomes an incident: what they are seeing, what it means, how much it matters here and now, whether the team can realistically act on it, and then the action itself.
Who it is for
Supervisors, senior operational leads and multi-agency decision-makers.
Where it appears
LSJF e-learning · Show-Safe Levels 3 and 4 · Collaborative Solution Finding.
Fuelling organisational situational judgement
Our evidence-based consultancy, simulation modelling and research work are focused on gaining the knowledge and insight to inform, support and drive effective situational judgement across an organisation. We use systems thinking (looking at how the parts of an organisation affect each other), collaborative problem solving, impact modelling and mixed-methods research (numbers and what people tell us, applied together). What connects all of it is the same conviction: better decisions, made by better-equipped people and teams, produce better outcomes.
See our full programme offer