Criticizing is never fun - but necessary: The role of error management and gender in after-action reviews of police teams.

In the daily work of police officers, human lives are at stake. To ensure that the routines that guide police officers in their work are safe and efficient, reflection of past operations and an effective culture of error management are central. Regular debriefings or after-action reviews (AARs) represent prime arenas for these processes to unfold. Yet, it remains unclear how debriefs shape a culture of error management. To go further, the current diversification of traditionally male dominated police departments may create a shift that requires appropriate management. While research shows that gender impacts meetings in general, its role in debriefs and especially error management remains unclear. In this study we seek to explore these questions qualitatively analyzing interviews with police officers (N = 17) via summarizing content analysis (Mayring, 2015). Interviewees demonstrated great interest in addressing errors appropriately and viewed AARs as opportunities for mutual learning in the team.