Ready, set, bake: Using the ‘Great British Bake Off’ to learn important lessons in incidence response

Abstract

Adults learn from experiences, be they lived or virtual. In the latter case, television programming offers a variety of opportunities for virtual learning. Indeed, while some people regard ‘reality television’ as no more than simple entertainment, the manner in which participants tackle complex situations can in fact provide opportunities for learning. ‘The Great British Bake Off’ (GBBO) provides a case in point, due to the striking parallels between it and the incidence response process. Both involve executing complex processes in abbreviated timeframes with numerous opportunities for failure. Just like no two ‘bakes’ are alike, no two incident response events run identically. GBBO bakers and incident response practitioners need to be knowledgable, agile and prepared to manage in a variety of circumstances. This paper offers insights into enhancing incident response using the GBBO as a model for performing incident response. Please note: in the US GBBO is known as ‘The Great British Baking Show’.