Mindset Over Mayhem: Integrating Cognitive Readiness and Naturalistic Decision Making Into the CSCATTT Framework for Crisis Management

ABSTRACT

Major incidents (MIs) represent critical contingency failures that expose deep, systemic vulnerabilities within the inter‐organizational crisis management ecosystem. These weaknesses transcend mere logistical shortcomings, revealing a profound inability to manage the inherent “wicked” nature of complex, uncertain crises. Traditional incident analyses frequently underappreciate the extreme cognitive and psychological demands placed upon multi‐agency responders during these high‐stakes events. This research, based on a Structured Critical Integrative Review, introduces the Mindset Over Mayhem Framework (MOMF), presented as an original integrative conceptual framework developed from the synthesis rather than as a previously established model. This conceptual model offers a comprehensive crisis management architecture by integrating the established operational doctrine of CSCATTT (Command, Safety, Communication, Assessment, Triage, Treatment, Transport) with critical psychological and relational enablers essential for effective crisis response. Core to the MOMF are the cognitive constructs of Situational Awareness and Disaster Mindset, which directly support rapid naturalistic decision making (NDM) and the recognition‐primed decision (RPD) model under conditions of extreme ambiguity and pressure. A synthesis of contemporary literature (2015–2025) and official crisis reports demonstrates that systemic organizational fragility in MIs originates not primarily from material resource deficits, but from fundamental shortcomings in cognitive readiness, relational cohesion, and shared mental models (SMMs) across agencies. These deficits critically impair interoperability and undermine the speed and accuracy of RPD. The MOMF advances a necessary paradigm shift in contingency planning toward the proactive development of cognitive resilience as a core operational capability. It emphasizes that cultivating robust Situational Awareness, fostering deep inter‐agency trust, and recognizing adaptive leadership are foundational requirements for strategic, system‐level collaboration. The framework further draws on pragmatist and improvisational approaches to crisis management, which conceptualize effective response as disciplined adaptation under uncertainty rather than simple deviation from protocol. By consciously integrating psychological readiness with operational doctrine, the framework has the potential to enhance system‐level resilience and maximizes the efficacy of crisis response and victim care during MIs.