Psychological factors influencing decision-making performance in collaborative crisis response: insights from Norwegian emergency services leaders

Abstract This study aims to improve our understanding of the psychological factors that influence leader decision-making performance in collaborative crisis response settings. Path analysis was used to examine the relationships between self-efficacy, group affiliation, risk acceptance, collaboration, assertiveness, resource mobilization, and perceived decision-making hardness (DMH), and their impact on decision-making performance among leaders from the Norwegian police, military, and fire/rescue services. Data were collected using a virtual headquarters exercise, which provided a controlled and realistic environment for leaders to respond to a simulated crisis scenario. Our key findings indicate that: 1) Self-efficacy enhances collaboration and reduces perceived decision-making difficulty, leading to improved decision-making performance through better teamwork. 2) Risk acceptance positively influences collaboration and decision-making performance. This research contributes to the literature on leadership in crisis management by highlighting the psychological mechanisms that underpin leaders’ decision-making performance.