Sustainance of Emergency Networks

Emergencies can happen at any moment without notice and cause service interruptions, infrastructure damage, and even the need to evacuate people from their homes. In the event that these emergencies do arise, emergency planning management seeks to minimize their impact on the environment and people. (Brudney, 2009). Plans for emergency management have frequently been connected to sustainable development. It is an action plan that provides safety measures that will safeguard the organization in order to reduce potential future hazardous events that could jeopardize its ability to operate. Making ethical decisions and assessing the organization's capacity in emergency situations are essential for achieving sustainable growth. (Kapucu, 2014). This paper is an analysis of the factors that affect the sustainability of networks in the management of emergencies. These factors are classified into three. The first is through converging organization goals, the second is about utilizing technology for information and communication, and the final one is inter-organizational trust (Kapucu, 2014).

Analysis point one

Converging organizational goals plays an important role when it comes to building beneficial relationships between network participants. When all the participants in a network have mutual goals, they tend to share information and tools needed to reach any goals; this, in turn, facilitates the process of reaching the organizational goals (In Hamner, 2015). What is more, literature suggests that organizations with shared goals also exhibit collaborative practices which include sharing resources, expertise as well as human capital. Organizational goal convergence also helps when dealing with any problems that the participants of a network might face; when organizations have similar goals they tend to arrive at a consensus more effectively since they recognize issues easily and also have a common understanding of the issue at hand (Rivera, 2015).

In addition, goal convergence enables easier mobilization of stakeholders by defining their roles and responsibilities; this helps in achieving more efficient results. In organizations that manage emergencies, goal convergence is particularly important as it helps bring about strong and durable ties between network participants which facilitate a mutual understanding and cooperation when it comes to achieving goals. Having diverging goals would, therefore, hinder any cooperation between participants hence all organizations should strive to have converging goals (Kapucu, 2014).

Analysis point two

Utilizing technology for information and communication is another essential component for emergency management. Technology is useful when it comes to communication and sharing of information. In addition, technology aids in storing information which can later be used for decision making. Technology has become an important part of the society during recent times and for organizations, this has been a good thing since it helps coordinate workers effectively (In Hamner, 2015). Technology-based communication is also cheap and effective compared to other forms of communication; what is more, technology can facilitate communication over vast distances.

Technology-based communication can, therefore, be an effective tool for emergency management; this statement is true since technology lays emphasis in fast communication and sharing of information (Rivera, 2015).in turn, this facilitates decision-making in emergencies. Technology can also be used to mobilize and coordinate emergency response teams in addition to helping them have a common approach towards an emergency. Finally, through technology emergency situations can be handled from any location since technology gets rid of geographical communication barriers (Kapucu, 2014).

Analysis point thee

Trust is one of the most important components in today’s society. Trust is built through having healthy relationships; in organizations, these relationships include those between workers and those between the organization and other agencies. Therefore, we can sum up that inter-organizational trust is a pillar on which collaborative practices rest (Brudney, 2009). For an emergency network to succeed they must, therefore, have trust; however, there is a difference between trust earned during and before taking part in a project together. Trust should be cultivated before taking on a project together as this will facilitate more collaborative networks.

Trust building in emergency networks should be a continuous process where trust is nurtured in the relationship that network participants share. When there is trust, people will be able to eliminate all the problems that arise from the diversities that people have. Literature has also established a link between trust and the sustainability of networks. Trust has been shown to lead to long-term relationships where participants actively help each other develop and create environments that encourage communication and innovation (Kapucu, 2014).

Conclusion

To sum up the paper above, networks are a critical component of emergency management. However, sustaining a network is a tedious task that is affected by several factors. Some of the factors include inter-organizational trust, Converging organizational goals and the utilization of technology for information and communication (In Hamner, 2015). Trust helps in the creation of healthy relationships that are characterized by sharing of information and environments that encourage collaborative working. Converging organizational goals, on the other hand, enables the organization to work towards a common goal hence facilitating in the achievement of objectives. Finally, technology plays a major role since it is the best tool for fast and cheap communication over long distances; this helps in the coordination of emergency management. Network participants should, therefore, take heed of these three factors if they want to sustain their network.

References

Brudney, J.L., & Gazley, B. (2009). Planning to be prepared: An empirical examination of the role of voluntary organizations in county government emergency planning. Public Performance and Management Review, 32(3), 372–398.

Kapucu, N., Garayev, V., & Wang, X. ( 7 dec 2014). Sustaining Networks in Emergency Management A Study of Counties in the United States. Public Performance & Management Review, 37(1), 2013th ser., 104-133. Retrieved February 1, 2017.

In Hamner, M. P., Stovall, S. S., Taha, D. M., & Brahimi, S. C. (2015). Emergency management and disaster response utilizing public-private partnerships.

Rivera, F. I., & Kapucu, N. (2015). Disaster vulnerability, hazards, and resilience: Perspectives from Florida.