Kjetil Rustenberg

• Rustenberg, Kjetil & Gjøsæter, Terje (2026). Situational Disabilities and Shared SA devices: Insights from Full-Scale Emergency Exercises. Proceedings of the International ISCRAM Conference. 23, p. 1–11. doi: 10.59297/5ax86418. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study examines how situational disabilities (SDs) act as barriers to situational awareness (SA) in multi‑organisational emergency response, using empirical data from four full‑scale crisis exercises (2022–2025) in Norway. Drawing on Endsley’s SA framework and models of disability (medical/social/ICF), we combine observations, qualitative interviews and open-ended survey responses to explore how contextual factors, device design, and human stress interact to produce Situational Disabilities (SD) that degrade perception, comprehension, and projection. Findings show pronounced sensory SDs (auditory masking and reduced verbal communication), device‑induced SDs (auto‑muting of radio channels, small screens, fine‑motor requirements incompatible with gloves), and cognitive SDs (information overload, attentional tunnelling, SA-level lock‑in). SDs often amplify Endsley’s SA “demons” by creating emergent socio‑technical accessibility barriers: protective equipment, noise, extreme weather, and interface affordances frequently prevent actors from receiving or acting on critical shared information. We argue that crisis systems and Shared SA devices must be designed with situational‑disability awareness, adopting universal‑design principles, configurable audio/visual channels, and resilient interaction modalities, to strengthen shared situational awareness under real‑world stressors.

• Rustenberg, Kjetil; Steen-Tveit, Kristine; Munkvold, Bjørn Erik & Radianti, Jaziar (2024). Collaborative Evaluation: Mapping Socio-Technical Patterns in an Emergency Exercise. Proceedings of the International ISCRAM Conference. doi: 10.59297/38dek947. Full text in Research Archive
• Rustenberg, Kjetil; Radianti, Jaziar & Gjøsæter, Terje (2024). Adopting a Trading Zone Framework to Emergency Management. In Bui, Tung X. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 57th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. The Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS). ISSN 9780998133171. doi: 10.24251/HICSS.2023.263. Full text in Research Archive
• Steen-Tveit, Kristine; Munkvold, Bjørn Erik & Rustenberg, Kjetil (2024). Use of Standard Operating Procedures for Supporting Cross‑Organizational Emergency Management: Challenges and Opportunities Identifed from a Tabletop Exercise. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science. ISSN 2095-0055. 15(4), p. 673–687. doi: 10.1007/s13753-024-00583-5. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study investigated the crucial role of formulating and applying standard operating procedures (SOPs) in the context of emergency planning and response. The efective application of SOPs during operations is essential in order to address challenges that surpass individual organizational capacities. A specifc focus on fostering efcient information sharing and executing specifed actions maximizes the prospect of success. To explore the collective functionality of SOPs across organizations, we conducted a comprehensive tabletop exercise involving 10 organizations spanning tactical, operational, and strategic levels. Our analysis identifed six key challenges, primarily related to the structures for information sharing, communication pathways, and the complex integration and application of common SOPs within these diverse organizational contexts. This research contributes insights into the use of SOPs in large-scale, cross-organizational scenarios.

• Steen-Tveit, Kristine; Munkvold, Bjørn Erik & Rustenberg, Kjetil (2024). Enhancing cross-organizational collaboration in crisis management: Outcomes from a full-scale regional exercise in Norway. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management. ISSN 0966-0879. 32(4). doi: 10.1111/1468-5973.70000. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Cross-organizational collaboration exercises are crucial in improving preparedness and promoting team situational awareness for effective crisis management. Despite their potential, studies suggest that these exercises may often yield results with limited learning and practical benefits. This study analyzes a full-scale regional crisis management collaboration exercise conducted in Norway, involving 10 different organizations, and engaging over 200 participants. Using a survey-based data collection method focusing on the ‘Collaboration, Learning, and Utility-Scale’, complemented by on-site observations and data collection from various exercise locations, we scrutinize the exercise's effectiveness in enhancing collaborative efforts, learning outcomes and overall utility. The findings contribute valuable insights into the strengths and areas for improvement in cross-organizational collaboration, offering practical implications for optimizing future crisis management preparedness initiatives.

• Rustenberg, Kjetil & Steen-Tveit, Kristine (2023). En digital møteplass for samhandling. Sikkerhet. p. 65–67. Full text in Research Archive
• Rustenberg, Kjetil; Radianti, Jaziar & Gjøsæter, Terje (2023). Exploring Demons for the Establishment of Team Situational Awareness. In Radianti, Jaziar; Dokas, Ioannis; LaLone, Nicolas & Khazanchi, Deepak (Ed.), 20th Global Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management Conference (ISCRAM 2023). ISCRAM. ISSN 9798218217495. p. 636–648. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Individual situational awareness (SA) is crucial for building team SA, which is necessary for achieving a shared understanding of a situation, making informed decisions, and taking appropriate actions. This article examines the communication barriers that emerge when transitioning from individual to team SA in emergency management scenarios. We observed two emergency exercises on "ongoing life-threatening violence" and dam failure causing hospital congestion. The study was complemented with interviews with participants of these exercises, aiming at identifying barriers called SA-demons in the team setting. We discovered barriers that hinder the establishment of team SA, including a vicious cycle of mistrust, a fragmented information trap, a false feeling of mastery trap, and a decaying memory trap. These barriers can stem from individual, organizational, or technological factors. To complement existing SA theories, we applied the Cynefin framework and found that standard operating procedures can be potential barriers when transitioning into chaotic or complex domains.

• Radianti, Jaziar; Pilemalm, Sofie Elisabeth; Steen-Tveit, Kristine & Rustenberg, Kjetil (2023). Enhancing Learning from Incidents by Reconstruction of Events: Using the SQUARE Tool for Evaluation. In Radianti, Jaziar; Dokas, Ioannis; LaLone, Nicolas & Khazanchi, Deepak (Ed.), 20th Global Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management Conference (ISCRAM 2023). ISCRAM. ISSN 9798218217495. p. 663–675. doi: 10.59297/EQKP4179. Full text in Research Archive

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• Rustenberg, Kjetil & Steen-Tveit, Kristine (2024). Snowed In and Cut Off: How a Norwegian Municipality Dealt with a Power Outage. In Dugdale, Julie; Gjøsæter, Terje & Uchida, Osamu (Ed.), Information Technology in Disaster Risk Reduction 8th IFIP WG 5.15 International Conference, ITDRR 2023, Tokyo, Japan, December 4–6, 2023, Revised Selected Papers. Springer. ISSN 9783031640377. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-64037-7_5. Full text in Research Archive
• Rustenberg, Kjetil & Munkvold, Bjørn Erik (2022). Et godt samvirke kan kreve at vi må ha tillit til dem vi ikke kjenner. Ambulanseforum. ISSN 0800-6423. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Det er mye som peker mot at fysisk samlokalisering av 110, 112 og 113, 11X- sentralene bygger tillit mellom etatene som er samlokaliserte. Men et samvirke ved større hendelser består ofte av flere aktører enn 11X. Hvordan kan vi skape og ivareta tillit mellom 11X og andre aktører slik at vi oppnår et best mulig samvirke?

• Munkvold, Bjørn Erik; Rustenberg, Kjetil & Steen-Tveit, Kristine (2021). Adoption and use of standard operating procedures for emergency response. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Standard operating procedures (SOPs) are important as a basis for effective emergency response. These procedures specify roles, tasks, and steps to be taken during different stages of an incident. The different first responder agencies and other organisations involved in emergency response have SOPs specifying their operations and communication protocols, both for internal operations and for joint operations involving collaboration between several organisations. These procedures exist in different forms and formats, involving varying degrees of computer support. While the SOPs are part of the training of first responders, experience from real events as well as exercises show that the use of the SOPs are often varying and somewhat inconsistent even within the same organisation. The procedures are also typically underspecified regarding from where relevant information should be collected, how this information can be accessed, and whether this information should be shared with other responders. Also, first responders argue that the format of the SOPs often is not perceived as effective for supporting their operations in time critical situations, in terms of level of detail, accessibility and presentation clarity. Experienced emergency dispatchers in command and control centres report how following rigid communication procedures sometimes is considered to be non-conducive for an efficient dialogue with the caller. Also, procedures for efficient combination of various data sources to gain optimal value from these while also avoiding information overload, are also often missing in these command and control centres. The presentation is based on findings from the INSITU project funded by the Research Council of Norway, investigating current practices for information sharing among organisations involved in emergency preparedness and response in Norway. From workshops, interviews and observation in exercises, we analyse existing use of SOPs and possible improvements of these. In a recent digital tabletop exercise using a multiple forest fire scenario, we collected data on how situational reports and common operational pictures were shared from the local incident command and fire services to the affected municipalities and county, to providers of critical infrastructure (energy grid, telecommunications, road administration), and to the national level of emergency management. The findings show how efficient SOPs for situational reports and information sharing are either missing or have limitations negatively affecting the support from these procedures. We discuss factors influencing the adoption and use of SOPs among emergency stakeholders, and present recommendations for developing and implementing procedures that can effectively support emergency operations through consistent and widespread use.

• Munkvold, Bjørn Erik; Gjøsæter, Terje; Hagen, Dag Auby; Opach, Tomasz; Pilemalm, Sofie Elisabeth & Radianti, Jaziar [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2021). Evaluering av INSITU skogbrannøvelse. Universitetet i Agder. ISSN 9788284270500. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  SAMRISK-prosjektet INSITU ledet av Senter for integrert krisehåndtering (CIEM) ved Universitetet i Agder arrangerte en digital tabletop-øvelse 7.-8. april 2021. Hensikt med øvelsen var å gi erfaring med hvordan situasjonsbilde kan deles fra innsatsleder til sentrale myndigheter med bruk av felles digital kartstøtte. Scenario for øvelsen omfattet 3 samtidige skogbranner i Agder, lokalisert i Kvinesdal, Kristiansand og Arendal. Dreiebok ble utarbeidet av brannsjefene ved Brannvesenet Sør IKS, Kristiansandsregionen brann og redning IKS og Østre Agder brannvesen, i samarbeid med assisterende fylkesberedskapssjef ved Statsforvalteren i Agder. I alle tre brannscenarioene var kritisk infrastruktur truet og i Kristiansand var også sykehuset berørt av røyk. Ansvarlige etater for berørt infrastruktur ble derfor også aktivert i øvelsen. Totalt omfattet øvelsen ca. 70 deltagere fra 20 etater og organisasjoner, i tillegg til prosjektgruppen fra INSITU. Øvelsen ga deltagerne mulighet til å prøve ut deling av situasjonsbilde ved bruk av DSB kartmodul for skogbrann, som eksempel på mer samordnet bruk av kartstøtte. I tillegg ble Nødnett benyttet, med mulighet for bruk av en felles talegruppe for alle deltagerne. I forkant av øvelsen ble det lagt ut en nettbasert opplæringspakke med instruksjonsvideoer og oppgaver, og på øvelsens første dag ble det gjennomført ytterligere opplæring og oppgaveløsning i form av en halvdags sesjon i MS Teams. Evaluering fra øvelsen er basert på observasjon under øvelsen, spørreundersøkelser i etterkant av opplæring og øvelse, og gruppeintervjuer med representanter for deltagerorganisasjonene. Deltagerne gir tilbakemelding om en godt planlagt og gjennomført øvelse med et realistisk scenario. Øvelsen har bidratt til helhetsforståelse av behov for samvirke mellom aktører på ulike nivå i en større skogbrann, og synliggjort potensiale for deling av situasjonsbilde ved bruk av felles digitalt kartgrunnlag i kombinasjon med bruk av Nødnett. Videre har øvelsen gitt detaljerte innspill til videre utvikling av DSBs kartsystem, og synliggjort behov for videre utvikling av rutiner og maler for informasjonsutveksling mellom ulike nivå. INSITU-prosjektet vil bidra til videre oppfølging av læringspunkter fra øvelsen, i samarbeid med de involverte aktører.

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