Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-2023

DOI

10.1002/rhc3.12278

Publication Title

Risk, Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy

Pages

1-18 pp.

Abstract

Emergency management is a key government function for mitigating risks and reducing the impacts of disasters. Emergency management leaders play a critical role in preparing for and responding to disasters whose impacts are exacerbated by a pandemic. Using the example of the compound threat of hurricanes and the COVID-19 pandemic, this qualitative research uses insights from emergency management professionals to describe collaborative approaches and leadership skills that help balance the needs for stability and flexibility. Data collected using focus groups and one-on-one interviews with emergency management professionals highlight that collaboration involved existing and new partners in a changing and uncertain environment that challenged traditional leadership of emergency management. The study develops understanding of how emergency management leaders navigate the tension between stability and flexibility in this different collaborative emergency management context involving a compound hurricane-pandemic threat. Findings show that emergency management leaders leverage the stability of established partnerships, plans, and processes to bring in new partners with needed expertise, adjust based on new information, and meet specific COVID-19 information needs. They utilize several skills to balance stability and flexibility including developing shared vision, stakeholder engagement, strategic thinking, adaptability, communication, and coordination.

Rights

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution‐NonCommercial‐NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non‐commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made. © 2023 The Authors. Risk, Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Policy Studies Organization.

ORCID

0000-0001-5431-9314 (Saitgalina), (0000-0003-3599-1417 (Yusuf)

Original Publication Citation

Alshayhan, N., Hill, S., Saitgalina, M., & Yusuf, J.-E. (2023). Leadership in collaborative emergency management for compound hurricane-pandemic threats: Insights from practitioners' experiences. Risk, Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1002/rhc3.12278

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