Naim Kapucu

Interagency Communication Networks During Emergencies Boundary Spanners in Multiagency Coordination

This article examines the problem of effective interagency communication among organizations and the role of information technologies to achieve effective communication and decision-making goals in emergencies. It explores what factors contribute to effective interorganizational communication and decision making and what factors inhibit their development. The theoretical framework draws on the literature of emergency communication and social capital, with a particular focus on communication and decision making under conditions of uncertainty. The study applies this framework to study the relationships that emerged among public, private, and non-profit organizations following the World Trade Center disaster on September 11, 2001, in New York City. The article indicates the importance of developing a strong communication system with other organizations before a disaster occurs to establish appropriate communication in which effective interagency coordination will take place at the time of a disaster.

Collaborative emergency management: better community organising, better public preparedness and response

Community coordination requires communication and planning of precautions to take when faced with a severe threat of disaster. The unique case of the four Florida hurricanes of 2004--Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne--is used here to assess community responses to repeated threats of hurricanes. The paper examines how effectiveness in coordinating community disaster response efforts affects future public preparedness. The findings suggest that pre-season planning, open communication between emergency managers and elected officials, and the use of technology all had a significant impact on community responses. The repeated threat scenario indicates that emergency managers must work vigilantly to keep residents informed of the seriousness of a situation. The study describes how emergency managers in Florida countered public complacency during four hurricanes in six weeks. The strategies identified as useful by public managers in the context of hurricanes are applicable to other natural and man-made disasters.

Collaborative emergency management and national emergency management network

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze scholarly discussions and findings regarding collaborative emergency management (CEM). Several aspects such as leadership, decision making, intergovernmental and interorganizational relations, technology applications in CEM have been investigated.Design/methodology/approach – Literature review was conducted using three popular search data bases, Academic Search Premier, Academic OneFile, and Info Track OneFile using the following keywords: CEM, collaborative and emergency and management, collaborative networks, emergency networks, emergency network, interorganizational networks, Interorganizational and networks, intergovernmental and networks, and National Emergency Management Network (NEMN).Findings – The paper emphasizes that high expectations of public and stakeholders in emergency and disaster management require effective use of resources by collaborative networks.Practical implications – Emergency and disaster managers should be able to adopt their or...

The Evolving Role of the Public Sector in Managing Catastrophic Disasters: Lessons Learned

This article focuses on the emerging role of the public sector in dealing with catastrophic disasters. An empirical analysis of the 9/11 response operations provides a detailed case study with an eye to its implications for not only emergency management practice but public policy as well. The “horde of hurricanes” inundating Florida in 2004 provides a brief example of a “routine” disaster for comparative purposes. The argument is made that the response to the extreme event of 9/11 provides clear evidence of (a) the different standards expected of the public sector in the 21st century and (b) the fundamental difference in kind between routine disasters and catastrophic disasters. The article states that the public increasingly expects better public sector leadership before, during, and after catastrophic disasters than has been seen in the past. High standards of responsiveness and the ubiquitous media compel public leaders to coordinate resources effectively.

Examining Intergovernmental and Interorganizational Response to Catastrophic Disasters Toward a Network-Centered Approach

This research focused on the interorganizational and intergovernmental response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. The study used the concepts from the network and partnerships literature and used current techniques of network analysis. The study found that the use of intergovernmental and interorganizational response to coordinate complex operations in multiorganizational environments of catastrophic disasters was not successful in responding to both Hurricane Katrina and Rita in 2005. The research suggests that more investment should be made in community capacity building at the local and state levels for successful and effective partnerships in responding to catastrophic disasters. In this research, the local and state levels are shown to be faster in response and future research should focus on local, state, and federal resources coordination in response to catastrophic disasters.

Collaborative Decision-Making in Emergency and Disaster Management

Decision-making in emergencies requires non-traditional approach and tools characterized by non-hierarchical structure and flexibility. The dynamic environment of disasters makes it imperative to invest in inter-sector and inter-agency cooperation and coordination. Focusing on the Emergency Management Assistance Compacts (EMAC) response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, this article examines the decision-making structure of the agreement. EMAC is an inter-state mutual aid agreement that facilitates sharing of resources during and after disasters. While EMACs overall decision-making performance was relatively satisfactory and flawless, investment in communication, trust-building, and eradication of inter-agency value differences and discrepancies is imperative.

Culture of preparedness: household disaster preparedness

Purpose – This paper aims to examine household preparedness in response to disasters and the role of non‐profit organizations in the publics preparedness.Design/methodology/approach – The study uses the context of hurricane preparedness of Central Florida residents, using the mail survey method as a data collection tool.Findings – The findings of the study emphasize the importance of household and individual preparedness in response to natural disasters, specifically to hurricanes. If individuals are not ready, then nobody is ready. The paper finds that households, even with significant experience of disasters, can be complacent in response to disasters.Originality/value – The paper focuses on household preparedness and emphasizes that the emergency management community needs to make a significant effort in training households.

Making Matters Worse An Anatomy of Leadership Failures in Managing Catastrophic Events

Catastrophic disasters require additional leadership capabilities because extreme events overwhelm local capabilities and damage emergency response systems themselves. Therefore, leaders at all levels must adapt and rebuild the response system, even while they are addressing the pressing needs of the disaster itself. Leaders can minimize or maximize the effects of the trigger event(s) by their actions and competence in dealing with this especially difficult set of overlapping and, frequently, even inconsistent tasks. This case studies the effects of the Katrina—Rita hurricanes on New Orleans and systematically examines how poor leadership—lacking a series of critical competencies required in extreme conditions—can maximize catastrophic events.

Interorganizational Coordination in Complex Environments of Disasters: The Evolution of Intergovernmental Disaster Response Systems

This article evaluates the Federal Response Plan (FRP), the National Response Plan (NRP), and the National Response Framework (NRF) from the perspectives of interorganizational networks and complex adaptive systems. The article uses the theoretical approach of complexity theory and dynamic network analysis to assess the relationships among organizations using the NRP/NRF as the structure that shapes their functional and organizational relationships. It also examines the applicability of concepts from complexity science for emergency and crisis management, to the evolution of NRP/NRF from the earlier FRP. The article uses the network analysis method in evaluating changes from FRP to NRF. The network analysis results demonstrate increases in complexity in the disaster and crises response and recovery plans over time.

Crisis Management Competencies

Abstract This article seeks to clarify what competencies are needed in the response phase of true crises, and to make important distinctions among related but distinct concepts which are often blurred. That is, to what extent is crisis management, in which there is some degree of systems failure, related to emergency management, change management, and transformational leadership? How are these distinctions illustrated at a competency level? The findings indicate that senior emergency managers in administrative leadership positions do not abandon emergency management practices, but rather adapt them selectively. Change management is important, but it must be targeted and time sensitive. Crises are no time to reorganize adequately operating response systems, much less try to implement wholesale organizational changes. Finally, while some of the commonly associated features of transformational leadership do apply, such as self-confidence and decisiveness, others are conspicuously deemphasized, such as the need for achievement. Fifteen competencies were identified from a field of thirty-seven as the key characteristics or behaviors of effective leaders during crises. This research reinforces our understanding that different circumstances call for different competencies. Identifying specific contexts by environmental demands or industry peculiarities, and then studying the differences will advance the normal science of leadership immensely.