Does training improve security decisions? A case study of airports

A cardinal belief in airport security is that workers’ training has a direct impact on actual rule compliance behavior and thereby assuring optimal security. Given the complex social and organizational nature of airports, however, it is not surprising that substantial proportions of security employees, including screeners, security guards and ground personnel bend, break or ignore rules and protocols, bringing into question the effectiveness of training. In a comprehensive study of airports across Europe, the impact of security training on security-related decisions was examined in detail. As airports are complex high-reliability organizations, their security levels are based on regulations that require both initial and refresher courses annually. We hypothesized that those more trained would comply more with the protocols and rules than those with less training. In addition, we contend and test the hypothesis that the robustness of the training process is modified as it becomes enmeshed in the reality of an airport’s organizational processes. Our results confirmed both general observations but also led us to discover that training itself is constrained in its ability to determine security decision behavior primarily because of an employee’s experience of actual threats. We then suggest a solution that incorporates a scenario simulation to bridge the gap between rule compliance and reality.