- Experienced Director with a demonstrated history of working in the events services industry. Skilled in Crisis Management, Training Programme Design, Operations Management, Coaching, and Training Needs Analysis. Strong professional with a Bachelor’s Degree focused in Crowd Safety Management from Buckinghamshire New University.edit
Abstract “How the psychology of crowd behaviour impacts on operational resilience.” This is a report prepared from a literature search together with research using expert theorists and practitioners. The report investigates the changing... more
Abstract
“How the psychology of crowd behaviour impacts on operational
resilience.”
This is a report prepared from a literature search together with research using
expert theorists and practitioners. The report investigates the changing
demographics and behaviours of crowds when subjected to stressful
emergency situations and how this affects the operational resilience for Event
Safety organisations.
This study has set out to examine the history of psychological research on
crowd processes, to unpack the plethora of theory and research to
understand the patterns of crowd actions and individual behaviours.
There is still a tendency to focus on early scientific theorists such as Gustave
Le Bon’s research (Le Bon 1895), which separates crowds from their social
context. His theory assumed that crowd participation counters our normal
view of psychological behaviours, revealing a primitive and uncontrolled
behaviour (Reicher, 1996 Reicher and Potter, 1985). Stephen Reicher
(Reicher 1982,1987) argues that ‘one of the more remarkable features of
traditional crowd psychology is that it has tended to constitute a theory without
a referent. Rather than starting from a set of phenomena that are in need of
explanation, a set of explanations were elaborated in order to underpin certain
ideological presuppositions about the crowd - or at least the suppositions of
gentleman observers who viewed the masses with alarm from the outside’.
Crowds should not be seen as aggressive and uncontrollable in emergency
situations but with patterns and behaviours that reflect social and cultural
influences. There are a number of social scientists that now support this view
(Krantz, 1988, Turner and Killian 1964, Williams, 1986, Reicher, Drury, Stott,
1996, 1997, 1999), arrived at after relevant scientific research to investigate
patterns of crowd behaviour to show that there are observable trends that
reflect existing cultures and social identity.
“How the psychology of crowd behaviour impacts on operational
resilience.”
This is a report prepared from a literature search together with research using
expert theorists and practitioners. The report investigates the changing
demographics and behaviours of crowds when subjected to stressful
emergency situations and how this affects the operational resilience for Event
Safety organisations.
This study has set out to examine the history of psychological research on
crowd processes, to unpack the plethora of theory and research to
understand the patterns of crowd actions and individual behaviours.
There is still a tendency to focus on early scientific theorists such as Gustave
Le Bon’s research (Le Bon 1895), which separates crowds from their social
context. His theory assumed that crowd participation counters our normal
view of psychological behaviours, revealing a primitive and uncontrolled
behaviour (Reicher, 1996 Reicher and Potter, 1985). Stephen Reicher
(Reicher 1982,1987) argues that ‘one of the more remarkable features of
traditional crowd psychology is that it has tended to constitute a theory without
a referent. Rather than starting from a set of phenomena that are in need of
explanation, a set of explanations were elaborated in order to underpin certain
ideological presuppositions about the crowd - or at least the suppositions of
gentleman observers who viewed the masses with alarm from the outside’.
Crowds should not be seen as aggressive and uncontrollable in emergency
situations but with patterns and behaviours that reflect social and cultural
influences. There are a number of social scientists that now support this view
(Krantz, 1988, Turner and Killian 1964, Williams, 1986, Reicher, Drury, Stott,
1996, 1997, 1999), arrived at after relevant scientific research to investigate
patterns of crowd behaviour to show that there are observable trends that
reflect existing cultures and social identity.
Research Interests:
One of the key elements of crowd modelling is to understand the capacity of the space, how quickly it will fill and what time it will take to reach critical density1. This essay will examine, discuss and make recommendations on a... more
One of the key elements of crowd modelling is to understand the capacity of the space, how quickly it will fill and what time it will take to reach critical density1.
This essay will examine, discuss and make recommendations on a specific venue site from the point of view of a consultant, examining the crowd management planning for MK Dons at Stadium MK, Bletchley, Milton Keynes. This will discuss and examine the key issues of operating a stadium capacity of 30,500. So, why should crowd modeling be utilised?
The arrival and movement of spectators at a venue is a vitally important aspect of safety management for a crowd safety manager. Crowd behaviour and dynamics will determine how a space fills over time.
In his report on the 1989 Hillsborough Stadium Disaster Inquiry Rt Hon Lord Justice Taylor wrote (paragraph 59):
A new ethos – “It is not enough to aim only at the minimum measures for safety. That has been, at best, the approach in the past and too often not even that standard has been achieved. What is required is the vision and imagination to achieve a new ethos for football. Grounds should be upgraded. Attitudes should be more welcoming. The aim should be to provide more modern and comfortable accommodation, better and more varied facilities, more consultation with the supporters and more positive leadership. If such a policy is implemented it will not only improve safety. There will also be an improvement in behaviour, making crowd control easier.
This essay will examine, discuss and make recommendations on a specific venue site from the point of view of a consultant, examining the crowd management planning for MK Dons at Stadium MK, Bletchley, Milton Keynes. This will discuss and examine the key issues of operating a stadium capacity of 30,500. So, why should crowd modeling be utilised?
The arrival and movement of spectators at a venue is a vitally important aspect of safety management for a crowd safety manager. Crowd behaviour and dynamics will determine how a space fills over time.
In his report on the 1989 Hillsborough Stadium Disaster Inquiry Rt Hon Lord Justice Taylor wrote (paragraph 59):
A new ethos – “It is not enough to aim only at the minimum measures for safety. That has been, at best, the approach in the past and too often not even that standard has been achieved. What is required is the vision and imagination to achieve a new ethos for football. Grounds should be upgraded. Attitudes should be more welcoming. The aim should be to provide more modern and comfortable accommodation, better and more varied facilities, more consultation with the supporters and more positive leadership. If such a policy is implemented it will not only improve safety. There will also be an improvement in behaviour, making crowd control easier.
