PhD position ‘Courage to Correct: Balancing Error Prevention and Learning in Strategic Crisis Teams’

In high-stakes crises, strategic teams often aim to avoid errors at all costs. Yet this drive for error-free performance at a group level can unintentionally silence early warning signals on a personal level-such as when conflicting information during a bomb-threat response go unchallenged, or when concerns about rising intensive care unit admissions are dismissed. These moments illustrate how hesitation to speak up can undermine adaptation and decision-making when it matters most.

Research shows that effective teams require psychological safety: the opportunity to voice concerns and seek feedback openly (Edmondson & Bransby, 2023). Studies on error management climates demonstrate that treating mistakes as learning opportunities enhances performance (Horvath et al., 2023). However, crisis contexts differ: what counts as a ‘mistake’ is often ambiguous in the moment. Rather than clearly identifiable errors, team members are frequently dealing with potential mistakes or contributions that may be perceived by others as inaccurate or inadequate. Voicing such concerns or alternative interpretations can entail personal and relational risks. Moreover, even perceived or potential errors may carry heavy consequences in crisis contexts, and recent work suggests that an exclusive focus on error management is insufficient. Instead, optimal performance emerges from balancing error management with error prevention (Van der Byl et al., 2023). Emerging theory argues for performance safety-the freedom to speak up combined with awareness of the responsibility errors entail (Taylor et al., 2025).

This reveals a core paradox for strategic crisis team decision making: teams striving to be error-free may unintentionally suppress the cues that help them learn, adapt, and intervene effectively. This tension between preventing errors and learning from them will be centre stage in this PhD project.

The activities include integrating literature on psychological safety, error climates, and crisis decision-making, and developing a conceptual framework for communication errors in strategic crisis teams. The project will collect interview data and analyse crisis scenarios to identify patterns of communication errors and their impacts. It will also test the effects of these errors and their consequences in controlled crisis simulations through field experiments combined with post-experimental interviews. Finally, interventions and training methods aimed at improving communication and reducing errors will be tested in controlled crisis simulations, again using field experiments complemented by post-experimental interviews.

This 4-year full-time PhD, based in the Psychology of Conflict, Risk and Safety section, focuses on strengthening communication, learning, and error response in strategic crisis teams.

Are you interested in this position? Please apply no later than 11 May 2026 via the button below and attach:

• a cover letter, highlighting your specific interest, qualifications and motivation to apply for this position.
• a detailed CV including contact details of two references.
• a written example to showcase your research and writing skills (minimum 2 pages).

Interviews are scheduled for the 21st of May 2026 (in the afternoon) at the University of Twente.

The preferred start date of the project is September 1, 2026, but in consultation it is possible to start somewhat earlier or later.

About Adapt!

Adapt! is a team of researchers from different universities. Our goal? Building knowledge and expertise to help prepare societies for future crises.

The open society is increasingly threatened by crises such as pandemics, terrorism, floods, and earthquakes. The future of the open society depends on its adaptability to prepare for future crises. Adapt! investigates the role of cultural, social, and governmental capabilities of a society in building an effective and legitimate response to crises. Together with citizens and frontline professionals, the Adapt! consortium will translate research findings into tools and strategies that help societies navigate through crises. More information about Adapt can be found at: adapt-academy.nl

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