Abstract
boundaries of their organizations in fast-paced environments? Coordination
is a key aspect of emergency management that addresses how crisis
managers from police, ambulance services and fire department align their
mutual interdependencies in an environment that is prone to escalate. This
challenges crisis managers to coordinate ad-hoc, under severe time pressure,
with experts from different response organizations who have different skills
and professional jargons.
In this dissertation, Jeroen Wolbers, explores how such cross-boundary
coordination is practiced on the disaster scene based on detailed observations
and reconstructions of exercises and real-life response operations. The results
of this research indicate that the command and control doctrine emergency
organizations employ is based on an integration logic, in which organizational
designs are created, plans and protocols are administrated, and centralized
command structures are instated. Yet, a different coordination logic appears
during the response operation itself. In four empirical chapters Jeroen builds
up a detailed account, which illustrates that cross-boundary coordination on
the disaster scene is actually based upon a fragmentation logic. Emergent
adaptations, the negotiation of the relevance of expert judgments, and
the changing configuration of a multi-organizational response network are
central aspects of this coordination logic. While fragmentation often has
a negative connotation, results of this research indicate it is important not
to dismiss it only as failure. Crisis managers utilize fragmentation to keep
sufficient speed in managing unexpected situations and unknown threats.
As such, fragmentation actually supports the very flexibility, sensitivity to
operations, and improvisation that are claimed to be hallmarks of swift and
effective crisis management.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Qualification | PhD |
| Awarding Institution |
|
| Supervisors/Advisors |
|
| Award date | 7 Jan 2016 |
| Place of Publication | Ridderkerk |
| Publisher | |
| Print ISBNs | 9789492332035 |
| Publication status | Published - 2016 |
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Bibliographical note
Naam instelling promotie: Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamNaam instelling onderzoek: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Keywords
- Coordination
- Boundary
- Emergency Management
- Disaster
- Crisis
Cite this
}
Drawing the Line : Cross-boundary Coordination Processes in Emergency Management. / Wolbers, J.J.
Ridderkerk : Ridderprint, 2016. 239 p.Research output: PhD Thesis › PhD Thesis - Research VU, graduation VU › Academic
TY - THES
T1 - Drawing the Line
T2 - Cross-boundary Coordination Processes in Emergency Management
AU - Wolbers, J.J.
N1 - Naam instelling promotie: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Naam instelling onderzoek: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
PY - 2016
Y1 - 2016
N2 - How do emergency responders coordinate the response operation across theboundaries of their organizations in fast-paced environments? Coordinationis a key aspect of emergency management that addresses how crisismanagers from police, ambulance services and fire department align theirmutual interdependencies in an environment that is prone to escalate. Thischallenges crisis managers to coordinate ad-hoc, under severe time pressure,with experts from different response organizations who have different skillsand professional jargons.In this dissertation, Jeroen Wolbers, explores how such cross-boundarycoordination is practiced on the disaster scene based on detailed observationsand reconstructions of exercises and real-life response operations. The resultsof this research indicate that the command and control doctrine emergencyorganizations employ is based on an integration logic, in which organizationaldesigns are created, plans and protocols are administrated, and centralizedcommand structures are instated. Yet, a different coordination logic appearsduring the response operation itself. In four empirical chapters Jeroen buildsup a detailed account, which illustrates that cross-boundary coordination onthe disaster scene is actually based upon a fragmentation logic. Emergentadaptations, the negotiation of the relevance of expert judgments, andthe changing configuration of a multi-organizational response network arecentral aspects of this coordination logic. While fragmentation often hasa negative connotation, results of this research indicate it is important notto dismiss it only as failure. Crisis managers utilize fragmentation to keepsufficient speed in managing unexpected situations and unknown threats.As such, fragmentation actually supports the very flexibility, sensitivity tooperations, and improvisation that are claimed to be hallmarks of swift andeffective crisis management.
AB - How do emergency responders coordinate the response operation across theboundaries of their organizations in fast-paced environments? Coordinationis a key aspect of emergency management that addresses how crisismanagers from police, ambulance services and fire department align theirmutual interdependencies in an environment that is prone to escalate. Thischallenges crisis managers to coordinate ad-hoc, under severe time pressure,with experts from different response organizations who have different skillsand professional jargons.In this dissertation, Jeroen Wolbers, explores how such cross-boundarycoordination is practiced on the disaster scene based on detailed observationsand reconstructions of exercises and real-life response operations. The resultsof this research indicate that the command and control doctrine emergencyorganizations employ is based on an integration logic, in which organizationaldesigns are created, plans and protocols are administrated, and centralizedcommand structures are instated. Yet, a different coordination logic appearsduring the response operation itself. In four empirical chapters Jeroen buildsup a detailed account, which illustrates that cross-boundary coordination onthe disaster scene is actually based upon a fragmentation logic. Emergentadaptations, the negotiation of the relevance of expert judgments, andthe changing configuration of a multi-organizational response network arecentral aspects of this coordination logic. While fragmentation often hasa negative connotation, results of this research indicate it is important notto dismiss it only as failure. Crisis managers utilize fragmentation to keepsufficient speed in managing unexpected situations and unknown threats.As such, fragmentation actually supports the very flexibility, sensitivity tooperations, and improvisation that are claimed to be hallmarks of swift andeffective crisis management.
KW - Coordination
KW - Boundary
KW - Emergency Management
KW - Disaster
KW - Crisis
M3 - PhD Thesis - Research VU, graduation VU
SN - 9789492332035
PB - Ridderprint
CY - Ridderkerk
ER -