Tabletop scenario exercises applied to workplace violence prevention research

Background. U.S. employers have identified security and violence prevention as one of their top three business priorities. Worker-on-worker violence is a primary component of companies concerns. The study objective was to identify if tabletop scenario exercises are successful in improving a company's response to worker-on-worker violence.

Methods. Twenty-two threat management teams from a large multinational company participated in two tabletop scenario exercises at five regional training seminars in 2010. Teams completed data collection instruments to document how they mitigated each case presented in the scenario exercises. Data collection followed response protocols of the company's threat management program: identification of the initial level of threat, investigation and reassessment of threat, intervention and referral, case management.

Results. Teams were multidisciplinary and averaged 7 members (range= 3-13). The percentage of teams correctly assessing the initial level of threat increased from 41% in scenario 1 (S1) to 59% in scenario 2 (S2). This increase was most pronounced among the less experienced teams. During the investigation phase, 68% of the teams in S1 identified most of the priority interviews to conduct, which increased to 86% in S2. Following the investigation, a smaller percentage of teams in S2 correctly reassessed the threat level, most likely due to not having identified a critical piece of information during the investigation that placed the threat in a more severe stage.

Conclusions. Tabletop scenario exercises can be valuable tools for evaluating how companies respond to simulated threats of workplace violence and for identifying the successes and gaps in the response.