The Role of Organizational Structures in International Humanitarian Response Operations
Open Access DepositedThe COVID-19 global pandemic has shown that there are limits to the systems and structures that we use to respond to emergencies, and has also complicated the countless other emergencies that have taken place since the start of the pandemic. The future, with the worsening effects of climate change and other emerging infectious diseases, is likely to be even more complex. This dissertation explores the impact of the organizational structures and processes of humanitarian organizations on response operations. It aims to expand our understanding of the kinds of flexibility that are needed to respond to novel emergency types – not just agility in setting up operations, but in ensuring that the organization is able to collect and use critical information about the response, and adapt to meet previously unforeseen operational needs.Chapter2 examines strategies for intra-organizational information management in humanitarian emergencies using an agent-based model. The model represents the dynamics of information-gathering and -sharing, in order to examine the impact of several strategies on (1) the time required to acquire adequate information for decision-making and (2) the amount of excess information acquired in the process. The results show that holding regular information-sharing meetings significantly reduces the time to acquire adequate information, but does not reduce information overload; however, deploying an information management specialist reduces both time required and information overload. The results support recommendations for humanitarian organizations deciding how to improve their internal information management strategies. Chapter3 seeks to understand the operational limits of the modular service structure, with modules for technical sectors such as health or shelter, that is used in nearly all international humanitarian responses. To better understand the operational limits of this ubiquitous service architecture, we perform a qualitative analysis of how one organization’s response plans evolved over time in thirteen recent emergency responses. We find that in the rare cases where changes are made to the service architecture, they are aimed at inspiring complex changes in population behavior, enabled by integration across technical sectors and a more interactive and adaptive interface with the affected population. The results point to external interfaces (with the affected population) as the key motivation for service architecture changes, a trade-off between operational efficiency and a deeper relationship with the affected population, and the practical need for a structural assessment during operational planning. Chapter 4 explores the limits of a humanitarian response organization’s operational systems and processes when expanding into novel contexts, and the sources of flexibility that enable them to respond despite these limitations. We present a case study of a humanitarian response organization during the West Africa Ebola outbreak. Semi-structured interviews of Ebola response personnel detail operational challenges that arose during this emergency and their attendant process and structure limitations, along with the solutions eventually reached by the organization. Through an inductive analysis of these data, we find that operational processes in particular had limited flexibility. We also find that individual efforts were critical to enabling flexibility in responding to these limitations. Humanitarian organizations should recognize the importance of individual efforts by response staff in adapting processes to novel needs. Humanitarian organizations should also consider developing more flexible processes, or a systematic process for making process changes, which could alleviate some of the need for individual efforts and bespoke solutions in supporting adaptation.
- All rights reserved
Notice to Authors
If you are the author of this work and you have any questions about the information on this page, please use the Contact form to get in touch with us.