The contemporary environment introduces additional requirements for the efficiency and quality of the emergency response. While certain challenges, such as natural disasters, have been a major force since the dawn of humanity, the changeable landscape of the 21st century poses new, unprecedented challenges. The rapid technological progress elevates the risks related to humanmade emergencies, whereas the threat of global and domestic terrorism has equally been on the increase. As such, the exact characteristics of an effective emergency operations center serve as an area of intense interest for the professional community. The contemporary researchers distinguish specific aspects, which become key in ensuring the efficiency of the response. Effective communication, competent leadership, and strong organization skills have been distinguished as the defining features of such a system. Consequently, there exists a substantial body of knowledge reviewing said parameters in the discussed context.
Nevertheless, it has been previously established that emergency management as a discipline is yet to acquire the status of a fully-fledged professional area with well-established, comprehensive standards. Therefore, it appears interesting to investigate whether the professional research community has a consensus in regards to the vital nature of the aforementioned characteristics (Feak & Swales, 2009). The purpose of this paper is to analyze the existing literature, synthesizing the information related to communication, leadership, and organizational skills in emergency response.
The effective functioning of an effective emergency operations center suggests the involvement of a broad array of individuals within certain professional groups. The groups of responders are expected to utilize their full potential, which is enabled through quality communication and optimization of efforts. Tipler et al. (2018) investigate the effectiveness of emergency response in the school environment, which presents a topical area of interest due to the increasing level of natural and humanmade occurrences observed in said environment. Irrespective of the specific emergency type, the synthesized hierarchy of critical actions is topped with the effective transmission of crucial information to stakeholders, i.e., communication. However, this study is descriptive in nature, lacking the evaluation parameter of Bloom’s taxonomy.
Simultaneously, interprofessional communication between response units has its particular requirements. Muniz-Rodriguez et al. (2020) analyze the issue on a deeper level, offering a practical solution in the form of extended social media use. While this approach utilizes the capacity of modern technology, its effectiveness reveals itself in communication with the public, and its suitability for interprofessional use remains uncertain. Wang et al. (2018) offer a more pointed investigation, outlining the primary requirements for emergency responder communication. As such, the tools are to demonstrate high levels of mobility and accessibility, which would make them sufficiently versatile to meet the criteria of various emergency scenarios. Indeed, the typical disaster response framework includes the command center, along with specific professional groups deployed on-site. The effectiveness of data-sharing can be attained if the main channel of communication is accessible by all units and departments involved in the response protocol. This way, interprofessional links can be established, enabling the quick exchange of vital information and efficient distribution of assets.
At the same time, communication alone does suffice to ensure the effectiveness of a diverse interprofessional response team. Consequently, the concept of competent leadership acquires additional importance in the case of emergency management. When analyzing the rising threat of natural disasters induced by climate change, Zhou et al. (2018) lay additional emphasis on the crucial status of emergency decision making. The authors provide a comprehensive review of challenges faced by the profession, connecting each point to the ways in which competent leadership can enable better results. As such, the rapidity of an occurrence is the primary characteristic of an emergency, which dictates the necessity of efficient decision-making. Pranesh et al. (2017) add that competent leadership is, among all, dynamic, and emergency leaders should be able to adapt to any development within a single, changeable crisis. They evaluate the impact caused by the lack of said quality in the case of Macondo Well Blowout, applying theory to practical experience. Huntsman et al. (2021) demonstrate a similar stance, acknowledging the key role of the adaptation potential of an emerging leader. Ultimately, these characteristics outline the particularities of the field.
While competent leadership is a dominant research topic across industries, the context of disaster response imposes unique requirements as compared to other fields. Most crises are rapid, and the cost of untimely decisions is measured in human lives. Simultaneously, emergencies tend to develop quickly, and as the situation evolves, competent leaders should be able to adjust their tactics in real-time. This requires a certain level of cognitive flexibility, as well as substantial experience, which would consolidate the efforts of interprofessional team units in the most efficient manner.
The aforementioned aspects of emergency response are tightly connected to another critical aspect, which consists of developed organization skills. Response teams are usually composed of diverse units, comprising various professional groups and volunteers. In such a complex environment, it is vital to ensure a strong organizational structure, which will be capable of resolving the crisis efficiently. According to Hikono et al. (2018), the purpose of the proper organization is to minimize the negative aspect of the human factor in disaster response, which was observed, for example, in the fallout of the 2011 Japan earthquake. The article convincingly evaluates the role of organization skills in developing an adaptive structure capable of functioning in a stressful environment. Roud (2021) expands on this idea, stating that the advanced organization of a response team promotes collective improvisation, which, in turn, is a key instrument in the changeable context of a disaster. Shreshta and Pathranarakul (2018) point at the necessity of establishing a solid organizational framework encompassing all stages of the emergency response. The analysis reveals that their conceptual understanding is broader, as it extends beyond the on-site organization and involves the cooperative effort of all structures.
Ultimately, the presented review of the current body of knowledge demonstrates the critical status of the discussed concepts in effective emergency management. While researchers analyze the significance of Communication, Leadership, and Organizational Skills individually in a detailed manner, it is unwise to view them as separate entities. Competent leadership is the basis of effective operations across many industries, but, in the case of emergency management, its influence is immense, considering the stressfulness and intensity of the context. During crises, strong leaders are expected to possess certain qualities that allow them to organize the response procedures in an optimal manner. Accordingly, organization skills enable a flexible yet solid framework capable of adapting to the changeable scenario of a disaster. Finally, a well-structured team with a proper organization will have a better environment for effective communication. Therefore, Communication, Leadership, and Organizational Skills are three interconnected concepts, which contribute to the positive outcome of an emergency response.
References
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